Mission X
by Kurome Shiretsu
Summary: YYH Xmen Evolution crossover. Yuusuke, Kurama, and Hiei pose as mutants and team up with the Xmen in an attempt to stop a mutant uprising headed by a powerful demon. Can the Reikai Tantei keep their demon heritages secret from the mutant world?
1. Mission X

Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
- : - : - Chapter One: Mission X - : - : -  
  
"This had damn well better be important . . . "  
  
Urameshi Yuusuke eyed the almost unbelievably tall flight of stone steps leading up to Genkai's shrine with more than a little irritation showing in his expression.  
  
It wasn't that the trek up the long flight of stairs would tire the young man overly much --it was a nice enough day for a hike, cool and crisp with the approach of winter--, but the fact that he HAD to climb the stairs was still very annoying. He could have been hanging out with Keiko, or teasing Kuwabara, or beating up on the lesser thugs that hung around his high school.  
  
" . . . As in 'Life-or-Death, the World's-About-To-Be-Blown-To-Smithereens' important."  
  
But NO. He had to spend a good twenty minutes of his time heaving himself up the Stairway From Hell to go meet the Junior God Of Hell to find out his next Assignment To Hell.  
  
And THEN he could waste another twenty minutes hauling himself back DOWN the stairway.  
  
Yep. Life was FAN-freaking-TASTIC.  
  
Yuusuke heaved a sigh and set his foot upon the first stair. "The stupid toddler's probably lost his stinkin' pacifier."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
As the last few steps leading to the shrine passed beneath his feet, Minamino Shuichi (known to a select few as Kurama) found his thoughts dwelling upon the odd message that he had found lying on top of his desk the night before.  
  
To Kurama:  
  
Be at Genkai's at precisely eight-thirty tomorrow morning. You have an assignment.  
  
Sincerely,  
Mighty Lord Of The Reikai  
Overall Grand Ruler Of The Reikai Investigations Department  
Beloved By All  
Your Employer (and The Guy Who Signs Your Paychecks)  
Koenma  
  
Kurama greatly enjoyed the irony that Koenma's signature and titles (as misleading as they may be, seeing as NONE of the Reikai Tantei EVER got paid) took up more space than the introduction and note did combined, but that did not stop the youko-turned-human from being intrigued by the new 'assignment.' Things HAD been boring lately, and a bored youko meant a youko ready and willing to do just about ANYTHING for a little excitement.  
  
Hands in the pockets of his jacket, Kurama stepped onto the flat, stone platform at the head of the long stairway, peering through the wooden gateway framing the entrance to the shrine grounds in an attempt to catch a glimpse of Genkai or Yukina (or maybe even Hiei or Yuusuke), but the courtyard was empty and there was no sign of anyone. A stray, autumn wind swirled beneath the wooden gateway and caught teasingly at his loose hair, tugging it across his face until he tucked his back behind his ear with an impatient motion.  
  
He stiffened slightly, however, as his nose caught the odd, alien scent also carried upon the wind.  
  
He tilted his head back, inhaling deeply.  
  
There was a hint of . . . rain, and snow . . . and lightning? And a separate scent as well . . . earthy, definitely male, with the sharp tang of sweat and metal and . . . tobacco smoke?  
  
Kurama frowned, perplexed.  
  
What in the world . . . ?  
  
"Oy, Kurama! You get summoned by His Royal Shortness, too?"  
  
Kurama turned at the yell, peering down at the familiar raven-haired teenager trudging up the steps.  
  
"Yuusuke," replied Kurama, by way of greeting. "I assume Koenma sent for you as well?"  
  
"Yeah." Yuusuke ran one hand back through his hair as he jogged up the last steps to stand beside the emerald-eyed young man. "If it's anything less than the approaching Apocalypse, I'm outta' here."  
  
Kurama allowed himself a small smile. "No," he said, amused. "You'll go along with whatever Koenma says, if only for a chance to fight again."  
  
Yuusuke grinned. "I'm getting predictable, huh?"  
  
"Not much." Kurama turned his gaze back toward the shrine, frowning as the odd scents mingled with the aged, comforting scent of Genkai. "Do you know anything about this 'assignment'?"  
  
"Nothing." Yuusuke's eyes skimmed over Kurama's odd, wary posture. "What's up with you?"  
  
"There are strangers in the shrine. Two of them. A male and female, I think."  
  
Yuusuke's eyes narrowed, and he turned all of his senses toward the silent shrine. His sense of smell was nowhere near as keen as Kurama's youko nose, but his instincts were more refined when it came to sensing upcoming fights. "Humans, or . . . otherwise?"  
  
"I'm not sure. They smell . . . strange. But there's no scent of blood or fear, so it's doubtful that they're here to fight."  
  
Yuusuke tilted his head to one side, a slow smirk crossing his features. "In that case, why don't we go say hello?"  
  
Kurama sent a wry glance toward the battle-eager young man. "Why not?"  
  
Yuusuke stepped through the gateway with Kurama following slightly behind. The raven-haired young man fell almost instinctively into the cocky persona that most associated with him.  
  
"OY! GRANDMA! GUESS WHO?"  
  
There was the sound of soft footsteps from inside the shrine, and one of the screens at the building's front slid aside to reveal Genkai, her usual stern frown fixed firmly in place. If one knew her well enough, though, one could pick out the slight warmth in her eyes as she spotted Yuusuke.  
  
"Hello, Shuichi. Good morning, Dimwit."  
  
Yuusuke and Kurama exchanged a glance, the same thought running through each of their minds.  
  
Since when did Genkai call Kurama anything but 'Fox'? And since when did she even acknowledge that 'Shuichi' was one of his names?  
  
Genkai had nicknames for everyone. Yuusuke was 'Dimwit.' Hiei was 'Sociopath.' Kuwabara was 'Fool.' Kurama was 'Fox.' The aged martial artist never called any of the Reikai Tantei by anything BUT her chosen nicknames for them unless things were serious . . . and she NEVER called Kurama 'Shuichi.'  
  
Yuusuke sent a questioning glance toward his teacher, but kept his voice purposefully light. "Hey, Grandma. Has the Brat told you what's going on?"  
  
"He's told me enough." Genkai looked back over her shoulder at the still- open door of the shrine. "There are two people here to see the both of you, Dimwit, Shuichi. Their want to see the Sociopath as well. They have an interesting story to tell, to say the least."  
  
Yuusuke looked past his teacher, peering into the dim interior of the shrine, barely able to make out the two shadowy figures within. "You know me: I'm always up for a good story."  
  
The more burly of the two mysterious figures (the male, Kurama was certain) shifted slightly, stepping forward, into the sunlight. His eyes were narrow and dark, his jaw square, and his hair was black and messy. His clothes consisted of faded jeans, a t-shirt, and a battered leather jacket. His eyes ran over Yuusuke and Kurama appraisingly.  
  
When he spoke, his voice was low and gravelly, and words were in heavily accented Japanese. "So, these are the kids?"  
  
Yuusuke arched one eyebrow in surprise. "You're American?"  
  
"Canadian, kid. Name's Logan."  
  
The other stranger (the woman) stepped forward, emerging into the light and revealing herself to be a slender African woman with snowy-white hair, clad in a long skirt and button-up blouse. She said something in what Yuusuke assumed was English (he could only pick out words here and there; for once, he wished that he hadn't skipped so many of his language courses). Her voice was smooth and warm, and Yuusuke and Kurama both found themselves liking her somewhat.  
  
The feral-looking man jerked his chin toward the silver-haired woman. "This is Ororo Monroe. She says that she's pleased to meet you."  
  
Yuusuke opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when his surroundings faded to an odd shade of smoky gray, all noise ceased, and a short, blue-clad figure appeared before him to hover in midair.  
  
"Yuusuke!" Koenma's familiar voice grated against Yuusuke's ears. "You're here!"  
  
Yuusuke glared darkly, peering around suspiciously. He still stood in the open courtyard area in front of Genkai's shrine, and he could still see Genkai, Kurama, and the two stranger's standing around, but everything was frozen and painted in cool shades of blue and gray. It reminded Yuusuke greatly of the time that Koenma had come to see him in the middle of a school day to inform Yuusuke about his latest case.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, what's the big problem now, Short-stuff?" Yuusuke scowled up at the floating, infant-like form of the demigod of the dead. "And what's with the two oddballs?"  
  
"DON'T CALL ME THAT! . . . And THEY are here to take you to your new case." Koenma eyed the scowling detective with more than a little sternness. "This is important, Yuusuke. None of your normal shenanigans on this one, understand?"  
  
Yuusuke rolled his eyes. "Feh. Whatever. What's the deal?"  
  
"Hmph." Koenma sighed to himself. " . . . What do you know about mutants?"  
  
Yuusuke frowned. "I know that the American government is in a real uproar right now. They want the mutants to all register themselves or something, and the mutants aren't taking to it that well." He snorted. "Not that I blame 'em."  
  
Koenma nodded. "Right. I see that you CAN remember things, if you want to."  
  
"Get to the point, Squirt."  
  
"YUUSUKE!"  
  
" . . . right, right . . ."  
  
"ANYWAY . . ." Koenma glared down at the raven-haired young man. "We've heard rumors of mutants gathering beneath someone of great power, who promises them freedom from human rule. Someone who guarantees them a world of mutant superiority. Supposedly, there will be a mutant uprising against the human governments, probably sometime soon."  
  
Yuusuke cocked his head to one side, frowning. "What does that have to do with the Reikai and Makai?"  
  
"I'm GETTING to that!" Koenma's pacifier bobbled as he sucked on it meditatively before continuing his explanation. "There's a group of mutants known as the X-men, based in the USA, who are dedicated to peace between mutants and normal humans, and their leader, a man named Charles Xavier, is very concerned about this new group of mutant extremists."  
  
Yuusuke's foot tapped impatiently against the stone tile on which he stood, his arms crossed over his chest. "And this worries you BECAUSE . . . ?"  
  
"We believe that the leader of the extremists is a demon."  
  
Yuusuke's foot stilled. "What class of demon?"  
  
"Anywhere from B-superior to S-inferior. We can't get any reliable information on him aside from that fact that he calls himself Kurorashi."  
  
"Kuro Arashi." Yuusuke nodded absently. " 'Black Tempest.' "  
  
"Correct."  
  
"So you want me to go and kick this 'Kurorashi' back to the Makai where he belongs?"  
  
Koenma cringed at Yuusuke's choice of words. "Er, something like that. What I REALLY want you to do is find out what his purpose is in gathering all of those mutants, and THEN kick him back to the Makai where he belongs. I have a feeling that there's more to this than a mere thirst for power in the Ningenkai."  
  
Yuusuke frowned. "Who all's going?"  
  
"You and Kurama, and Hiei, if we can get in touch with him in time. Botan is too busy gathering information and ferrying souls right now, and Kuwabara doesn't have the . . . subtlety needed to blend in where you three will be going."  
  
"Subtlety?" asked Yuusuke, eyes narrowed. "'Blend in'? What exactly have you cooked up as our crackpot cover story THIS time?"  
  
Koenma sighed, rolling his eyes heavenward. "The X-men are based at the Xavier Institute for Exceptionally Gifted Youngsters, a school to teach mutants how to use their powers. The X-men will be a great help to you on this case since they know much more about mutants that anyone in Reikai does at the moment. And in order to get their help, you and the others will have to pose as mutants."  
  
"But . . . we're demons." Yuusuke looked doubtful. "Won't they be able to tell the difference?"  
  
Koenma sighed again, looking as though he would like nothing so much as an aspirin and a long nap.  
  
"The Xavier Institute identifies new mutants through an advanced scanning system named Cerebro. It can search all of the world for abnormal energy signatures. They don't necessarily look for 'mutant energy,' they just look for 'non-human energy.' It is the responsibility of the Reikai to shield all demon auras from discovery by humans, and the demon energies of you, Kurama, and Hiei were all shielded from Cerebro by Reikai energy. However, I removed your shields early yesterday so that the Institute would 'discover' you and come hunting. This man and woman are professors at the Xavier Institute, sent here to recruit you three."  
  
Yuusuke massaged his forehead. "So . . . They'll interpret any of our 'demon quirks' as mutant abilities?"  
  
Koenma nodded. "Mostly. It would be good if you could limit yourselves. YOU had best just stick to excellent martial arts skills and strength, and Kurama should avoid letting his youko side out. Mutants generally have only one major ability, you see."  
  
"And Hiei can play around with fire to his heart's content, ne?"  
  
"Correct."  
  
Yuusuke considered for a long moment, then shrugged. "Hell, why not? I'll do it."  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
A/N: Follow the arrow and send me a nice review, okay? I'll be EVER so happy if you do! ^_^  
  
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	2. Entertainment

Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect. (Wait a few chapters . . . you'll see what I mean . . .)  
  
- : - : - Chapter Two: Entertainment - : - : -  
  
When Ororo Monroe (sometimes known as Storm) heard that the latest mutant presences detected by Cerebro were located in JAPAN of all places, she had expected to land in the middle of a huge city with tall skyscrapers and cars everywhere, seeing as Japan was the pinnacle of technological advancement.  
  
She did NOT expect to step out of the Blackbird into something that might have come out of a Japanese fairytale book.  
  
She knew that, if she walked far enough, she would find all the skyscrapers and cars that she could want, but for now . . .  
  
The coordinates that she was told were the optimum place at which to meet the newfound mutants were directly on top of an ancient shrine, which was made of wood and paper screens, with Japanese symbols ("Kanji," Logan had told her gruffly) carved everywhere, and all of the shrine grounds were shielded from the outside world by a thick, aged forest.  
  
They had 'parked' the Blackbird in a flat field that lay behind the aforementioned shrine (with the cloaking device safely activated to ward off prying eyes). When Ororo and Logan had gone in search of someone who might be of assistance in finding 'Yoo-soo-kay,' 'Shoo-eeh-chee,' and 'Hee- aye,' they were greatly surprised to enter through an open 'doorway' of the shrine and find themselves looking upon an short, aged woman kneeling on the floor before a low table, sipping at a small cup of tea, with two other cups ready and waiting.  
  
"Shut the door and have a seat," the woman had ordered, her voice low and gravelly but the words coming out in near-perfect English. "They'll be here shortly."  
  
Ororo had exchanged a startled glance with Logan, but after a short moment's deliberation, he had obediently slid the screen closed and moved forward to kneel across from the old woman. Ororo had followed shortly after.  
  
The old woman had poured a small amount of tea for each of them, and Ororo and Logan had taken small sips for politeness' sake. Logan murmured something that Ororo didn't understand, but she caught their names somewhere amidst the odd, meaningless jumble of syllables.  
  
The woman nodded once, and replied. Logan inclined his head toward her respectfully.  
  
"Her name's Genkai," Logan translated. "Apparently, she's the teacher of the ones we're here for."  
  
Ororo stiffened. "She knows why we're here?"  
  
"I knew before you even GOT here, young lady."  
  
Ororo stiffened and turned to meet the old woman's disconcerting gaze.  
  
"I---" Ororo felt more off-balance now than she ever had in her life. "I apologize, but I'm very confused."  
  
"Don't worry yourself over it." Genkai took a long sip from her own cup before speaking again. "Doubtless, you'll be even MORE confused by the time this fiasco is concluded."  
  
Genkai said nothing more, and neither Ororo nor Logan seemed willing to break the silence.  
  
They had only been waiting for perhaps five minutes when there was the sound of voices conversing outside, and Genkai smirked slightly as she rose to her feet.  
  
"There they are."  
  
A loud call broke through the near-stillness, and Logan translated once more.  
  
"Approximately, 'Roro, that means, 'Hey, Granny. Guess who?' "  
  
" 'Granny' ?" Ororo watched as Genkai crossed the room on near-silent feet. "She's RELATED to one of them?"  
  
Genkai paused and turned toward them, smirking slightly. "No. That's the Dimwit's nickname for me."  
  
With that, she continued forward and opened the door, stepping outside.  
  
Ororo looked to Logan for some clue as to what was happening. " 'Dimwit' ?" she asked, at a loss.  
  
The man merely got to his feet and walked to a position nearer to the doorway where he could look out at the newcomers. Ororo sighed and, feeling like a lost puppy tagging along behind whoever happened by, went to stand beside Logan.  
  
As far as the new mutants went, she didn't know what she expected them to look like --She had seen some strange things during her time as an X-man, after all.  
  
However, she did NOT expect anything like she saw. They were such a strange blend of 'normal' and 'bizarre' that she didn't know quite what to think.  
  
The taller of the two was a slender young (man? woman?) with long red hair and deep green eyes. He/she had a sense of poise and self assurance about himself/herself that was rarely found in one so young. He/she moved with an odd sort of feline grace, indicating both strength and intense muscle control all at once, which impressed both Ororo and Logan to no end.  
  
The shorter was a young man with raven hair slicked back from his face by way of liberal application of hair-gel. His eyes were a dark shade of chocolate brown, glittering with a fiery spirit. A cocky smirk was fixed firmly upon his lips, and there was an arrogant jauntiness to his movements that spoke of self-assurance by the barrelful. He was clad in jeans and a black tank-top, despite the cold weather, and looked perfectly comfortable for all that he HAD to be chilly.  
  
Ororo immediately labeled THAT one as Trouble, Capital T. He seemed a little TOO confident in himself for her tastes. Arrogance never took anyone anywhere good, and she suspected that the boy would learn that lesson the hard way at the Institute.  
  
The dark-haired boy spoke with Genkai for a short while, but Logan translated none of it. Ororo looked toward her companion for an explanation, but the tall man was frowning, a small crease appearing between his brows, as though he couldn't understand half of what was being said.  
  
Genkai sent a glance back toward Ororo and Logan, and the conversation continued for a few more seconds before Logan stepped forward and introduced himself.  
  
Ororo felt decidedly out of her depth. She didn't know ANY Japanese aside from words like 'hai' and 'konnichiwa.' Logan was the official translator for the trip, but she knew that he generally went straight to the point, and diplomacy could hang for all he cared.  
  
Oh, well . . .  
  
Ororo stepped forward to stand beside Logan. "These are the ones? Would you tell them what a pleasure it is to meet them, Logan?"  
  
Logan poured out more of the gibberish that Ororo knew to be Japanese, and the two young men focused their eyes upon her.  
  
Then the oddest thing happened.  
  
Ororo was looking straight at the raven-haired young man, and he . . . flickered.  
  
It was like seeing one of the holograms in the Danger Room go on the fritz. The dark-haired young man was standing still, looking calmly at her, and then his image 'twitched,' going in and out of focus within the space of a microsecond.  
  
In less than a heartbeat's time, his image had settled once more, but now his eyes were cool, calculating, appraising both Ororo and Logan with the cool focus of someone who KNEW that something important was going on.  
  
Ororo frowned and blinked.  
  
She was imagining things . . .  
  
Wasn't she?  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Ororo wasn't the only one to notice the odd 'flickering' of Yuusuke's image. Kurama now eyed the raven-haired young man with no small amount of interest.  
  
The scents of smoke and sulfur hung heavy in the air, as well as the odd, musty smell that indicated the presence of something of great age . . . Dead giveaways that the area had recently been visited by an inhabitant of the Reikai . . . specifically, Koenma.  
  
The youko spirit within Kurama stirred, curious.  
  
So, the little godling had just passed through . . . and judging by Yuusuke's new, alert posture, the Reikai Tantei had just been given their marching orders.  
  
Kurama turned his gaze toward the two strangers.  
  
The woman with the silver hair had taken a step nearer to her companion, leaning close to whisper a question in his ear.  
  
Kurama --possessing the senses of a youko-- caught the quiet phrase with ease.  
  
"Logan . . . the redhead . . . a he or a she?"  
  
The tall, feral-looking man chuckled slightly, smirking, but before he could answer, Kurama decided to speak. The emerald eyed young man took a step forward and bowed politely at the waist toward the woman.  
  
"With all due respect ma'am," he said in perfect, albeit slightly accented, English, "I am relatively certain when I tell you that I am a male."  
  
The woman jerked slightly in surprise, flushing all the way up to her ears --no small feat for one with skin so dark-- but she inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement. "I-- Sorry. Really, I am. I apologize."  
  
"No harm done." Kurama smiled disarmingly. "In all truthfulness, you aren't the first to have that problem. It's becoming quite a regular occurrence."  
  
Kurama then turned and bowed in greeting to the man.  
  
The man --Logan-- returned Kurama's bow with all the ease of one who knew Japanese culture intimately, although Kurama thought that he could detect a low chuckle from the man at the silver-haired woman's embarrassment.  
  
"It is a pleasure to meet both of you, sir, ma'am," said Kurama, tilting his head to one side, putting forth all the manners and charm that living as Minamino Shuichi had taught him. "If I might ask, what brings you to Japan? Genkai-sensei mentioned that you wished to see Yuusuke and I."  
  
The woman --Ororo, Kurama reminded himself sternly,-- recovered her poise and nodded, smiling slightly. "That's right. We have a bit of . . . startling news . . . for you and Mr. Yuusuke. We came for one other as well . . . but he doesn't seem to have shown up."  
  
Genkai snorted, folding her arms behind her back. "The Sociopath doesn't show up for ANYTHING prearranged unless one of THESE two drags him along by the scruff."  
  
Kurama cracked a small smile. "Hiei can be a little . . . reclusive, when he wishes, yes. He'll show up later, if he so desires."  
  
An irritated call broke through the air. ~"Oi!"~  
  
Keeping his expression placid, Kurama turned slightly to face a scowling Yuusuke. ~"Yes?"~  
  
~"You KNOW I can't speak English!"~  
  
~"If you had paid any attention in the language classes at your school, then there wouldn't be a problem."~  
  
Yuusuke grimaced. ~"For god's sake, Kurama, do NOT turn into Keiko on me! Just a little help with translation would be nice."~  
  
Kurama made an ironic little half-bow in Yuusuke's direction, smiling teasingly. ~"Whatever My Lord desires, ne?"~  
  
Yuusuke arched an eyebrow at the little jibe about his Toushin status. ~"Har-dee-freakin'-har-har."~  
  
Kurama shook his head slightly and sighed, but caught the other boy up on the conversation thus far --having to pause for quite a while whilst Yuusuke snickered about the 'guy or girl' issue,-- and Logan performed a translation recap for Ororo.  
  
The youko within Kurama was snickering with glee. Even if there WASN'T a chance to fight on the new assignment, dealing with the two foreigners was generating a whole load of entertainment all on its own . . .  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR CHAPTER ONE:  
  
: Yusukeholic : Thanks bunches! I'm glad you think so.  
  
: oOKeairaOo : I LOVE what you did with your screen name! Those little oO- Oo's are SO cute! And thanks for the encouragement. I appreciate it!  
  
: Siora : I'm happy you like the story! As far as nicknames go, I just didn't know what Hiei's was and made up a new one. *leans forward and whispers confidentially* I like my nickname for Hiei better anyway. Shhh. Don't tell. ^_~  
  
: Kailyssia : As far as the language barrier, I pretty much answered that in this chapter, but there'll be more info on that later if it needs clearing up. And thanks for reminding me about anonymous reviews. I'd forgotten to uncheck that stupid little box. *growls* Annoying little bugger. IT'S A REVIEW THIEF! .;  
  
: Thu6666 : Thanks.  
  
: Jax9 : . . . o.O; A man (or woman, as the case may be) of many words, aren't you? And anyway, I posted again, didn't I?  
  
: Kittengrl39 : I'm glad that the web-page helped you out. It's nice to know that people are actually reading all my little boring side notes! I hope you like the rest of the story! ^_~  
  
: khelen : Thanks. I will. 


	3. Demons, Mutants, It's All Cool

Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect. (Wait a few chapters . . . you'll see what I mean . . .)  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
- : - : - Chapter Three: Demons, Mutants, It's All Cool - : - : -  
  
Kurama tilted his head to one side, somehow managing to maintain a look of polite interest on his face. "I beg your pardon?"  
  
They were all kneeling around the low table in the main room of Genkai's shrine, the large, shadowy statue located at the far end of the room lurking menacingly in the shadows like a squat, round-bellied specter from the Reikai. Candlelight shimmered along the walls, adding to the aura of mystery in the room.  
  
Ororo and Logan were both giving Kurama strange looks.  
  
Logan leaned forward slightly. "Kid, I don't think you heard the lady right. She just told you that you're a mutant."  
  
Kurama frowned. "Yes . . . I THOUGHT that was what she said."  
  
The red-haired young man glanced at Yuusuke out of the corner of his eye, quirking one eyebrow in question. ~"These two tell me that we're 'MUTANTS',"~ he said, keeping his voice perfectly neutral. ~"You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?"~  
  
Yuusuke sent Kurama a pointed Look in return, placing his hands in his lap. ~"Where did you THINK you're odd little abilities with plants came from, 'Kid'?"~  
  
Kurama's eyes narrowed at Yuusuke's mention of his 'talents' (and at the newfound nickname bestowed upon him by Logan), but then he caught sight of the odd movements Yuusuke's hands were making, carefully shielded from the strangers' sight by the table.  
  
Only one with Kurama's youko eyes could have seen Yuusuke's forefinger, saturated with Reiki, drawing a series of small, glowing symbols (kanji) on the back of one of his hands, each symbol fading a few seconds after it was drawn . . .  
  
'REIKAI'  
  
'TANTEI'  
  
'KOENMA'  
  
Kurama nodded almost imperceptibly, showing that he understood.  
  
So all of this was a part of the assignment.  
  
Fun.  
  
~"YUUSUKE!"~ Kurama hissed warningly, narrowing his eyes. ~"That's NOT something they need to know!"~  
  
Yuusuke's eyes searched Kurama's face for a long moment, and then a small flicker of approval appeared in his eyes before it was carefully masked. ~"It's OBVIOUS that they already know,"~ he growled in return, scowling. ~ "You're paranoid."~  
  
~"With good reason!"~  
  
Kurama heard a muffled snort of laughter --undetectable to anyone not possessed of demon hearing-- from Genkai's direction, but the aged martial artist held her face as expressionless as ever.  
  
Yuusuke shook his head, sending a short glare toward the two strangers, conveniently 'forgetting' that Logan understood Japanese perfectly well.  
  
~"Cool it, Minamino. If they came here to cause trouble, you and I can give them MORE than enough to keep 'em happy."~  
  
Kurama subsided, still sending 'nervous' glances toward Logan and Ororo.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A small frown creased the skin of Logan's forehead as he listened to the short spat between the two boys. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ororo looking at him questioningly.  
  
"They think we're the baddies," he murmured shortly, when the sound of his voice was covered by the dark-haired boy --Yuusuke-- commenting brashly about his ability to handle things if Logan and Ororo wished 'to cause trouble.' "I'll handle it, 'Roro."  
  
When the two young men went silent, Logan leaned forward. ~"I don't think either of you understand where we're coming from."~  
  
He found himself the sole focus of a pair of disconcertingly keen gazes, but continued with his explanation. ~"We don't want any fights,"~ he said firmly. ~"We've come here to help you."~  
  
Yuusuke snorted. Shuichi's eyes narrowed.  
  
Ororo seemed to sense that things weren't going well. She placed a slender hand atop Logan's forearm. "Tell them who we are, if they don't believe us!"  
  
Logan nodded, not taking his eyes away from the two prospective students across from him.  
  
He held his hand out over the table, palm down. The young men's eyes were drawn to it reflexively, suspicion clear in their gazes.  
  
~"Here,"~ Logan said, his voice nearing a low growl. ~"Proof."~  
  
His fingers curled into a fist, and the tendons in his wrist grew taut as all the muscles in his forearm tensed. There was a burning pain in the skin of his knuckles, and the gleaming length of his adamantium claws slid into sight accompanied by a metallic *shnikt*.  
  
Yuusuke stiffened, his eyes narrowing until they were almost slits, and the muscles in his shoulders grew taut.  
  
Shuichi's response was the odder of the two. His eyes widened, and he stiffened as well, but instead of attempting to either get away or reach for a weapon, his hand went to his . . . hair?  
  
Logan smirked. ~"No worries, Kid. I'm not gonna' chop it off."~  
  
Those disconcerting, emerald eyes rose to glare into Logan's own, but the hand lowered once more, curling comfortably around the small, half-empty cup of lukewarm tea.  
  
Yuusuke's eyes were still fixed firmly upon the three claws glittering in the candlelight. His gaze was cold and calculating. ~"Those aren't natural."~  
  
~"No, they aren't,"~ Logan agreed.  
  
~"You said that you would show us something that would make us trust you,"~ said Shuichi, his voice steady and emotionless, but there was still a wary light in his eyes.  
  
~"The claws aren't what I wanted you to see."~ He relaxed his arm, and the claws slid back beneath his skin, settling into place along the bones of his forearm, feeling like blades of ice chilling his blood.  
  
He spread his fingers, clearly showing the three red wounds that remained from the claws' passage . . . even as the scarlet punctures swiftly sealed over and faded away.  
  
Yuusuke drew in a long, hissing breath between his teeth. Shuichi's pale fingers moved to brush lightly at the newly healed skin of Logan's hand before drawing away.  
  
~"Even HIEI doesn't heal that swiftly . . ."~ murmured the redhead, looking stunned.  
  
Yuusuke nodded once in agreement.  
  
Genkai, who had until now merely watched the happenings silently, her eyes taking in every small movement, interpreting every nuance of voice and gesture, spoke. ~"NOW will the two of you hear these people out?"~  
  
Yuusuke and Shuichi exchanged a short glance. A sort of silent understanding seemed to flow between them for a moment, and then Yuusuke turned to nod cautiously to Logan. ~"What sort of 'help' did you mean?"~  
  
- : - : - One hour, forty two minutes, and three seconds later . . . - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke held up one hand, palm facing outward, to ward off any more conversation on the part of Logan OR Ororo. ~"Okay, hold up. Let's recap and see if I've got all this straight . . . WE---"~ He gestured to himself and Shuichi. ~"---are both mutants, and YOU---"~ He indicated Logan and Ororo. ~"Are mutants as well. Good so far?"~  
  
Logan nodded, one eyebrow arched sardonically, even as his mouth was translating the conversation for Ororo.  
  
Yuusuke continued. ~"You and she are both are professors at a school that teaches mutants how to harness their powers fully --in secret and without any knowledge of your government-- and you want US to come to your school to learn how to 'harness' our own powers?"~  
  
Another nod.  
  
Shuichi spoke up at last, his voice soft, bordering on hesitant. ~"And . . . we would be among others like us?"~  
  
~"That's right."~  
  
Shuichi turned to look at Genkai. ~"What do you think, Genkai?"~  
  
Yuusuke also turned to look at his teacher. ~"Yeah, Grandma, what's your opinion?"~  
  
~"Go---"~  
  
Logan arched an eyebrow in surprise.  
  
~"---It'll give an old lady some peace from your ceaseless idiocy, Dimwit. And wherever you two go, the Sociopath will surely follow, so he won't be hovering around Yukina and me all the accursed time."~  
  
Yuusuke snorted. ~"I had not idea you liked me so much, Grandma."~  
  
~"You're perpetually dull wit never ceases to give me a migraine, brat."~  
  
~"You know you'll miss me."~  
  
~"Like a tumor."~  
  
Ororo's eyes grew steadily wider with each sentence translated, and Logan found it harder and harder to contain his laughter. Judging by the warm glimmer in Shuichi's eyes, it appeared that he found the scene amusing as well.  
  
Yuusuke shrugged, rolling his eyes. ~"Eh, whatever, hag."~ His eyes turned to focus on Logan. ~"How soon do I need to be ready?"~  
  
Logan jerked his focus back to the task at hand much like an owner jerking an unruly dog to heel by its leash. ~"You'll go?"~  
  
~"Meh."~ The young man gave a soft of half-shrug. ~"Why not? It's dull around here, and I'd like to see what I can REALLY do if I learn how to control my . . . talents. What about you, Shuichi?"~  
  
The red-haired young man closed his eyes in thought for a few short seconds, then reopened them with a small smile crossing his lips. ~"I don't see why not."~  
  
~"Great!"~ Yuusuke grinned. ~"Besides, it sounds like fun."~  
  
Logan translated, and Ororo smiled brightly. "Wonderful. Now, we just need to talk to their parents!"  
  
Logan nodded in understanding and relayed the comment to Yuusuke, who immediately winced.  
  
~"Oh, crap. Are you sure there's no 'sneaking quietly out the back door' deal? My mom's a kinda' . . . paranoid . . ."~ He paused, then added, ~"And a little drunk . . . actually, she's a LOT drunk."~  
  
Shuichi smiled at the other boy. ~"You worry too much, Yuusuke. You managed to convince her to let you train here for all those months without visiting home."~  
  
~"That was using the 'sneaking quietly out the back door' technique."~  
  
The green-eyed boy chuckled lightly.  
  
Yuusuke scowled. ~"Oh, shut it, Minamino. Wait 'til they tell YOUR mom what's going down."~  
  
Shuichi's laughter was abruptly choked off as he blanched to an interesting shade of pasty gray.  
  
~"Oh . . . "~  
  
~"Yeah, Minamino. Exactly. 'Oh.' "~  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR LAST CHAPTER:  
  
: Animegirl8 : *laughs* Poor Kurama! *rubs hands together evilly and cackles* Of COURSE they'll cause havoc, and you know that Kurama will cause multitudes of social ripples, what with him being so TOTALLY bishounen and all! I won't torture them, though . . . much! Bwahahaha! *Kurama runs away, followed closely by Hiei and Yuusuke* HEY! GET BACK HERE!!! *chases*  
  
: JCKIDSMART : Here. A chapter. Enjoy!  
  
: TCOD / Dark : *blushes* Aw, shucks. I just like to put up something that doesn't tell people my IQ is around 0.00023th of a point! But I'm glad that I'm *glances at review* 'up to your standards.' Thanks!  
  
: Tione : *performs victory dance* Whoo-hoo! They LIKE it! They LIKE it!  
  
: kaze : I checked on the website, but it was down. I'll check back later.  
  
: Katyfoxdemon2 : Here you go! A new chapter! Enjoy!  
  
: Ginevra : I'm glad you like it so much! I'm SO proud!  
  
: Rurouni Saiyan : Thanks!  
  
: Kailyssia : As far as pairings go, read the A/N at the beginning of the chapter. Hiei WILL show up (How could he not? He's one of my top three fav characters! 1) Toushin Yuusuke *drools*, 2) Kurama in either form *drools*, 3) Hiei *drools* . . . and Kuwabara *gags* is around number 392 . . . ^_^;).  
  
: Kittengrl39 : Thanks bunches. I'm really gonna' try to work something like that into the story. I have this UBER funny scene planned out (it involves Kurama, Yuusuke, some jealous Institute students, and a youko's mischievousness at work. You do the math. Bwahahaha!).  
  
: oOKeairaOo : Thanks. I like portraying Kurama as more youko than human; it adds some interest to things. And I kinda' want to pit him against Logan in the 'sensing things' department. Fun-fun. ^_^  
  
: Dragon's Garnet : Thanks for your support, and I agree with you on the proofreading thing. A few of my pet peeves are 'then/than' mistakes, 'its/it's,' verb tense changes in the middle of SENTENCES, and POV changes without warning. *growls* Going from 'I' to 'he' and back again in the space of one paragraph is a BIT much. Feel free to let me know if I make any boo-boos, okay? And as far as pairings go, read the A/N at the beginning of the chapter. Sorry. *whispers confidentially* I like K/H, too, but I can't write romance to save my soul. Shhh.  
  
: Yayo : But it's just too FUNNY to pass up putting in a story, no? ^_~  
  
: angelbird12241 : Thanks for the review, and I'll get to the institute sooner or later! 


	4. Some Goodbyes Need a Little Interpretati...

Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect. (Wait a few chapters . . . you'll see what I mean . . .)  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
- : - : - Chapter Four: Some Goodbyes Need a Little Interpretation - : - : -  
  
Logan and Ororo waited in the cockpit of the Blackbird, warming up the engines for takeoff while the two Japanese boys had a short, private conversation with Genkai. Logan's dark eyes were fixed firmly upon the various screens and gauges lining the control panels before him while Ororo checked the radar for any indication of planes flying near enough to spot the Blackbird.  
  
Occasionally, he would lean forward and look out the cockpit windows, watching the two boys and their teacher conversing quietly amongst themselves, and a pensive look would cross his face.  
  
He turned back to his pre-flight checks a few seconds later but called to Ororo. "How'd yours go?"  
  
Sounds of movement behind him ceased as the African woman paused momentarily in her work. "Fine," she replied, but her tone was thoughtful.  
  
"You don't sound like it went 'fine.' "  
  
She sighed, but her hands went back to skimming over the numerous keys and switches on the console before her. "It was . . . odd. The boy's mother, Shiori Minamino . . . when we first came in, she was smiling and polite. She hugged Shuichi and he hugged her back. They looked like they were perfectly happy . . . after we had been introduced, I told her why I had come --Shuichi translated for me, thankfully-- . . . and I told her that Shuichi was a mutant . . . and she . . ."  
  
Ororo's voice trailed off, and then . . .  
  
"She said something . . . in a breathless sort of way, as though she couldn't believe it. One word, I think, and all the blood just drained straight out of Shuichi's face . . . He . . . He looked like he had just seen something out of his nightmares."  
  
Logan turned in his seat to face the silver-haired woman, a frown upon his face. "What'd she say?"  
  
"Shuichi didn't translate . . . but it sounded like . . . like ah- . . . ah- koo-mah, I think." Her lips stumbled over the unfamiliar syllables, but Logan understood well enough. The dark-haired man's eyes narrowed, and he cursed softly under his breath.  
  
Ororo looked at him strangely. "You know what it is?"  
  
"Akuma [1]," hissed the man, looking INCREDIBLY pissed. "It means 'demon' or 'evil spirit.' It's the Japanese slang term for mutants, like 'freaks' is for us back home."  
  
"You're serious?!" Ororo looked appalled. "No wonder he looked like she had slapped him!"  
  
Logan growled under his breath. "Did you at least get her signature on the papers for their transfer?"  
  
"Yes. She signed them, and Shuichi could not get me out of that house fast enough . . . the poor boy . . ."  
  
Silence reigned for a long period of time, and Logan could not help but think over his own experience meeting Yuusuke's mother.  
  
- : - : - Flashback - : - : -  
  
Logan followed at Yuusuke's heels as the young man led the way to his home. He worried somewhat about leaving Ororo alone with the redhead, Shuichi, -- since Ororo could not speak English and Shuichi could act as translator, and Yuusuke needed someone who also knew Japanese,-- but comforted himself with the thought that the weather-manipulator could always zap the kid with a several thousand volts of electricity via a few well-placed lightning bolts if he got out of line.  
  
At the moment, he was more worried by the wary Looks continuously shot toward him by Yuusuke.  
  
They said nothing during the entire walk which Logan freely admitted to himself was quite long. He wondered how early the kid had to leave his house to get to the old woman's shrine so early in the morning.  
  
At last, Yuusuke turned down a slightly smaller side-street, dodging between groups of people with the fluid ease that came only from growing up 'street-smart.' A few moments later, the raven-haired young man stopped before a modest, if somewhat unkempt, white house.  
  
Yuusuke looked back at Logan, a warning look in his eyes. "We're here. Let me talk to her, okay?"  
  
Logan nodded and followed the kid up the sidewalk and into the house through the unlocked door. The X-man hung back slightly, hovering near the door and taking in his surroundings while Yuusuke stepped further inside, calling for his mother.  
  
The place was messy --there was no getting around THAT-- but Logan had seen worse places in his time. Old food and unwashed dishes lay in many surface, as well as dirty clothes and garbage, and Logan's keen nose easily detected the scent of alcohol in the air, but it wasn't unbearable. Several areas showed signs of clean-up jobs . . . done, Logan suspected, by Yuusuke himself.  
  
Yuusuke moved among the refuse easily, stepping over various piles without barely having to look at them. "Mom?"  
  
"YUUS'KE!" A middle-aged woman, unremarkable in appearances, with long brown hair appeared in one of the far doorways that led to the bedrooms, calling out, her voice slightly slurred from drunkenness. "Yuus'ke! Y're here!"  
  
The woman swayed slightly and leapt toward her son . . . or she TRIED to, at least. She managed a few shuffling steps before pitching headfirst into Yuusuke's chest.  
  
Yuusuke caught her easily and lowered the both of them to the floor. His mother's arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, and she was mumbling into the front of his shirt.  
  
Yuusuke's eyes were soft and dark. "Hey, mom," he murmured.  
  
Logan only managed to catch a few words of the woman's ramblings.  
  
" . . . god, Yuus'ke, don' scare me like . . . NEVER ag'n, y' hear? . . . thought you'd gone . . . again . . ."  
  
"Yeah, mom." Yuusuke's eyes rose challengingly to meet Logan's, daring the other man to say something about the picture before him.  
  
Logan kept silent.  
  
Yuusuke looked slightly relieved, turning his glance back to his mother. "Mom . . . you went out partying again, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah . . ." She raised her head with a low hiccup and a drunken smile. "Out t' K'rosa's place . . . partyin' ALL night LONG . . ." She giggled, but the smiled upon her face faded swiftly as her eyes turned back to her son's face. "But . . . but I woke up this mornin,' an' you were GONE . . . an' I thought, 'They've tak'n 'im ag'n!' an' I worried so MUCH . . . Don' leave me, Yuus'ke, not ag'n!"  
  
She tucked her head against Yuusuke's shoulder, squeezing him tightly. Yuusuke hugged her back. " 'S alright, Mother of the Year. You don't have to worry. I always come back."  
  
" . . . swear?"  
  
"I swear."  
  
The woman's arms relaxed her death grip upon her son, and she looked around for the first time since she'd entered the room. Her unfocussed gaze landed upon Logan, and she stiffened, frowning. "Yuus'ke . . . who's that?"  
  
Yuusuke looked up at the taller man. "He's a . . . friend. He needs to talk to you."  
  
" 'Bout what?"  
  
"School." Yuusuke stood, drawing his mother up with him, his arms wrapped firmly around her waist. "Come on, let's wake you up a bit more first. We'll talk later." He looked back at Logan. "Make yourself at home."  
  
Logan watched the pair of them shuffle back through the open doorway, disappearing from sight . . .  
  
- : - : - End Flashback - : - : -  
  
"So how was yours?" Ororo asked quietly.  
  
Logan jerked out of his reverie, sending another glance down at the dark- haired young man outside the jet.  
  
"Enlightening," he said at last.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
"Are you sure Yukina won't mind?" Yuusuke's eyes searched his mentor's face for some reassurance.  
  
"She's been bored out of her mind here at the shrine," replied Genkai. "Looking after Atsuko will probably be a vacation for her. You know how that little koorime loves making people feel loved."  
  
Yuusuke grinned wryly. "True enough. . . Thanks, Grandma."  
  
Kurama stood silently to one side, acting even more withdrawn than normal. His eyes, which usually gave his companions some slight idea of his temperament, were carefully blank of any emotions.  
  
The once-youko bowed politely to the old martial artist. "Thank you for your help, Genkai."  
  
Genkai grunted.  
  
Kurama managed a small smile. In Genkai-speech, that particular grunt meant, --'You're welcome.'--  
  
The youko in him had taken to translating all of the odd conversations between Yuusuke and Genkai into what the pair probably TRUTHFULLY meant by their harsh jibes. It was a hobby of sorts. Kurama privately prided himself on the fact that he was the sole person --other than Hiei, perhaps-- aside from Yuusuke and Genkai who was fluent in 'Yuus-Kai'-nese.  
  
Yuusuke cocked his head to one side, folding his arms over his chest and sending a glance toward the Blackbird, listening to the low hum of the warming engines. "Well, I guess our two chaperones are getting cranky waiting for us."  
  
--'It's really time to go.'--  
  
Genkai nodded once. "It's about damn time you left."  
  
--'I suppose it's time for goodbyes.'--  
  
"Meh." Yuusuke snorted.  
  
--'Yeah.'--  
  
"Your idiocy will get you killed on this one, Dimwit, if you don't wizen up."  
  
--'Be careful, boy.'--  
  
"With all the torture-training you put me through? How can I NOT survive anything after THAT nightmare?"  
  
--'I will. You taught me everything I need to know, after all.'--  
  
Kurama's smile became slightly less forced. It was nice to know that SOME things never changed.  
  
"At least now I'll get some peace and quiet, Brat."  
  
--'I'll miss you, Yuusuke.'--  
  
"Maybe I'll get lucky and this training 'll last for a decade or two."  
  
--'I'll miss you, too.'--  
  
"Have fun being hounded by the Sociopath."  
  
--'Tell Hiei that I said, 'Hello.''--  
  
Yuusuke smirked, turning, and walked swiftly toward the sleek black form of the Blackbird. Kurama followed after one last bow toward Genkai.  
  
Yuusuke paused when he reached the top of the loading ramp, saluting his aged teacher cheekily.  
  
"Hey, if I buy it this time, I'll be sure to come back and haunt you, Grandma!"  
  
--'I'll see you soon, one way or another.'--  
  
The smallest of smiles flickered across Genkai's face, but then the loading ramp was raising and she was soon lost to sight.  
  
The two young men turned and walked toward where they assumed the cockpit to be, picking their way through the mind-boggling mess of technology. The humming of the engines was growing stronger with each second, and Kurama's youko senses buzzed with the noise.  
  
As soon as they entered the main cockpit area, Ororo smiled at them, and Logan waved them to two empty seats without even looking up. "Strap in."  
  
Yuusuke and Kurama exchanged a glance even as they moved to obey, the same thought running through both of their heads.  
  
'Here we go . . . again.'  
  
- : - : - To be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
[1] Akuma- 'evil demon or spirit' . . . I researched this on the internet before using it. As far as I can understand, 'aku' implies evil and 'ma' means a monster or supernatural being. If I'm wrong, blame whoever writes those online Japanese-English dictionaries for their crappy definitions. *glares*  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR LAST CHAPTER:  
  
: Yusukeholic : I'm getting there, I'm getting there . . .  
  
: SSJ Cisco : Thanks. The Lack of Language Barriers is one of my pet peeves in fan fiction.  
  
: Tione : Thanks bunches! I write a new chapter every day, and *shamelessly fishing for more reviews* I look to my reviews for inspiration in my writing! *smiles brightly*  
  
: CJ-Chan : Thankies!  
  
: carla : I'm glad that you like it, and Hiei will show up within the next three or four chapters (no guarantees on an exact time!)  
  
: Rurouni Saiyan : Much thanks, and I hope I didn't make Shiori's reaction way OOC. And I hope I didn't overdo the Yuusuke and Atsuko scene . . . *winces* I'm kinda' worried about that.  
  
: purplepeopleeater : Three things: a) thanks for the support, b) do you have ANY idea how hard it is to type your name? and c) o.O; did you send me three identical reviews on purpose, or was that a computer glitch?  
  
: kailyssia : Oh.*blushes* Sorry. No, I'm not planning on ANY pairings at all right now. Sorry.  
  
: angelbird12214 : You'll have to wait and see!  
  
: oOKeairaOo : Thank you! *bows*  
  
: Dragon Sythe : *giggles* Yeah, I've researched the X-men Evo characters on the internet, but I don't know whether I read the 'X-men Encyclopedia.' Thanks for your support, though. And I don't know a lot about Gambit, but I can try to stick him in somewhere. No promises, though!  
  
: Jaid Skywalker : Thankies in bunches! I hope you like the rest of the story!  
  
: blue moon gurl : Thanks, and you're welcome.  
  
: TCOD : I feel REALLY loved! ^_^ I just really don't have a lot of homework right now and can work on this a lot. There WILL be some times when I don't update every day, but I hope story content makes up for that!  
  
: hiei-luver45 : Here you go! Enjoy! 


	5. Oddities Abound

Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect. (Wait a few chapters . . . you'll see what I mean . . .)  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
- : - : - Chapter Five: Oddities Abound - : - : -  
  
~:Where are you . . . ?:~  
  
His consciousness spread in ever-widening circles, skimming over the land as swiftly and silently as the winds. Muddled, disjointed thoughts from hundreds of humans and mutants teased his senses, too broken and confused for him to make any sense of them, like when one of the students at the Institute tuned a radio, skimming through stations and sending out bursts of meaningless noise and static as they did so.  
  
~:Where are you hiding?:~  
  
There was a short flicker of great power . . . his senses stretched toward it cautiously, but it was gone before he could determine what it was.  
  
He prodded slightly at the area of space-time that had recently held that strange, menacing power, but there was nothing to be found.  
  
Drawing away, he turned his senses in all directions, scanning lightly for any anomalies in the energy of the world . . .  
  
There!  
  
His consciousness soared upward, leaving the voices of the earthbound beings behind and stretching toward the triad of unbelievably powerful auras that had appeared at the distant edge of his perception.  
  
He inched closer, attempting to sense more about them . . .  
  
They were odd . . . he actually saw them as colors rather than felt them as emotions or thoughts. He had never encountered such as THAT before . . .  
  
The first was a brilliant mix of gold and green, tendrils of energy writhing and twining around each other like a next of disturbed serpents or vines suddenly come to life.  
  
The second was like an unbelievably fierce flame. It nearly 'blinded' him with its strength. A deep, sapphire blue melded with eye-searing white, and the entire aura crackled and flickered like an inferno wreathed in lightning.  
  
The third was more muted than the other two. Composed of radiant scarlet and violet-tinted black, it resembled nothing so much as a fire burning fiercely, too hot and dangerous to get close to.  
  
He edged closer, prodding gingerly at the aura of green and gold, as it seemed to be the safest of the three, and he almost could see where it was located . . .  
  
*BAM*  
  
Agony lanced through his head as though someone had touched a red-hot poker to the backs of his eyes. He reeled away, fumbling desperately to steady his consciousness.  
  
~:What . . . ?!:~  
  
He pushed forward again, tentatively poking forward . . .  
  
Only to encounter a seamless wall of pulsing violet energy that had suddenly erected itself around all three auras, blocking them from his senses completely. After a few more minutes of fruitless poking and prodding at the strange barrier, he withdrew, sending his consciousness soaring back to his body.  
  
Professor Charles Francis Xavier frowned to himself as he removed the shimmering metal headset of Cerebro from his head.  
  
"How . . . odd," he murmured.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
~"SHE CALLED YOU WHAT?!"~  
  
Kurama winced away from Yuusuke's yell, sending a cautious glance toward the backs of the two chairs that housed Logan and Ororo.  
  
~"Yuusuke! Quiet!"~  
  
The other boy blushed slightly but retained his expression of outrage. ~"She called you a WHAT?"~ he hissed in a quiet yet fierce voice.  
  
~"She called me 'demon,' "~ Kurama replied in a voice equally soft, but there was an underlying note of pain in his tone.  
  
Yuusuke's eyes practically burned with rage. ~"But she's your MOTHER. Of all the god-damned things she could have said, the bitc---"~  
  
~"YUUSUKE."~  
  
Yuusuke bit off the rest of his sentence, all of his danger senses going on alert. The slightest shimmer of gold could be seen within Kurama's emerald eyes, and Yuusuke thought that there might be a few silver hairs in the young man's red mane.  
  
Kurama switched to a common dialect of the Makai, known to every demon in existence, its guttural and yet sibilant syllables rolling off the red- haired young man's tongue with practiced ease.  
  
="I may be upset with her at the moment, MY LORD---"= There was heavy sarcasm on those two words. ="But she is still MY mother. Remember that. The Youko in me is not a patient creature."=  
  
Yuusuke forced down his irritation, and he nodded his head in understanding. ="Sorry . . . but that doesn't mean that I'm not still pissed."=  
  
The gold and silver highlights faded, and soon it was only Shuichi sitting across from him, looking very weary. A sad smile crossed the young man's face.  
  
="Yuusuke . . . Do you know what I find ironic?"=  
  
Yuusuke frowned. ="What?"=  
  
="I told her a lie . . . that I was a mutant . . . and she looked at me in shock, and she called me 'demon.' "= The smile faded, replaced by a forlorn look. ="I told her a lie, and she named me in truth. I might not be a mutant, but the soul of a demon still resides within me."=  
  
Yuusuke had no answer to that, and so he said nothing. Silence reined throughout the remaining hours of the flight, and eventually, Yuusuke fell into a light doze.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kitty Pryde was enjoying a quiet afternoon curled up on the oh-so-comfy couch in the main den of the mansion. A fashion magazine lay open on her lap, and occasionally she would reach down to flip a page. Her other hand was wrapped around a black permanent marker, held at the ready to circle any promising looking articles that caught her eye.  
  
Yes, it was so nice, being able to sit and think and just truly RELISH the silence---  
  
*BAMPH*  
  
"Hey! Kitty! Come ON already!"  
  
"GHACK!" The magazine flew in one direction, the marker in another, and the dark-haired girl literally vanished through the couch, disappearing from sight.  
  
Kurt Wagner winced as the marker rebounded off his forehead, and one blue- furred, three-fingered hand rose to rub at the sore area of skin. He peered around in confusion, golden eyes roving from one end of the room to the other.  
  
"Kitty?"  
  
"KURT!" Kitty's familiar head popped up through the couch cushion that had until recently housed her rear end. "WHAT have I told you about 'bamphing' without, like, a WARNING?!"  
  
"Er . . . don't?"  
  
"YEAH!"  
  
Kurt shrank away from the irritated girl, rubbing at one ear. "Jeeze, Kitty, turn down the volume, nein? It isn't as though I ATTACKED you!"  
  
The girl huffed, standing up and stepping out of the couch, scowling. Ignoring the presence of the other, she glanced around on the floor as though searching for something, and then turned back around and reached through the cushions of the couch once more, fishing around for something.  
  
A second later, an "Aha!" was heard, and the girl brandished her fashion magazine in the air. "Got you!"  
  
Kurt fidgeted where he crouched, worrying at his bottom lip with his sharp teeth. "KITTEEEEE!!!"  
  
The girl snatched up her marker from off the carpet near the blue-furred young man's feet. "Hmph. What?"  
  
"Come ON!"  
  
Kitty was in the process of settling herself back on the couch. "What are you so excited about?"  
  
"They're COMING. The Blackbird's almost HERE."  
  
Kitty sat bolt upright once more, sending her magazine and marker sailing through the air . . . again. This time, Kurt ducked his head out of the way of the projectiles.  
  
"WHAT?" Kitty dove forward, latching onto Kurt's upper arm. "Why didn't you SAY so? Come on! Bamph! Bamph!"  
  
Kurt's eyes widened in surprise, but then he shrugged it off, and . . .  
  
*BAMPH*  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR LAST CHAPTER:  
  
: Animegirl8 : *gasps* Kurama NEVER lies to his mother! . . . Except about that whole being a demonic fox-spirit reincarnated into her child's body thing who fights equally demonic creatures as an extracurricular activity . . . -_-; Er, yeah, anyway . . . I'm glad that you liked the rest of the chapter! And can you get me some photos of she-Kurama's reenactment of YYH? That would be PRICELESS.  
  
: Siora : Thanks bunches for everything, and I'll try to read your story as soon as I get some time away from my keyboard, k? And Hiei will be showing up soon, I promise. I like him, too, ya' know!  
  
: Tione : Yep. A chapter a day keeps the doctor away . . . or something thereabouts. ^_^; And I'm leaving Atsuko's reaction for another time . . . or maybe I'll just let everyone IMAGINE what happened . . . heh-heh.  
  
: Takahashi Shuurin : Hiei will be showing up soon, and no worries about your English. You have impeccable grammar (much better than the majority of the people who type reviews. Sheesh! Talk about spelling errors!). ^_^  
  
: QG : Here you go! More! And I am SOOO happy that you like me (or rather, my story) so much!  
  
: Jax : Geeze, demand a bit MORE, why don't you? -_-;  
  
: Aya-Mikage2002 : I'm glad you liked it thus far, but I think you're review got cut off. It ended in the middle of a sentence, and I didn't understand what you wanted to say. What about Kurama and his mom?  
  
: Ginevra : Thankies! And HIEI WILL SHOW UP SOON. You're, like, the umpteenth person to ask me that! Sheesh, there ARE a lot of Hiei fans, aren't there? (Of course, I have no room to talk, since I practically drool every time I think of him. See? Hiei. *drools*)  
  
: Rurouni Saiyan : Aw, thanks for the reassurance. I'm gonna' make everyone have a nice, happy ending, don't worry, and that includes resolving the Shiori incident.  
  
: Mistress of Dragons : Thanks. I love it when I get free advertisement on other peoples profiles! Awesome! And I'm UBER happy that you think I'm such a good writer! Yayness!  
  
: CJ-Chan : Yeah, poor Kurama . . . I feel AWFUL for doing that! *cries* I'm soooo sorry! *glomps Kurama* I'm SOOOORRRRYYYY! WAAAAH! *Kurama turns into his fox-form and runs away* Hey! I'm APOLOGIZING here! *chases*  
  
: Pheonix : *frowns* Why wouldn't people like Jean? Personally, I like Rogue best, but Jean's a great character, too! And I'll see what I can do about your request . . . I MIGHT be able to get it to work . . . hmm.  
  
: kailyssia : I'm glad you liked the mom scenes, and I agree with you about romance. Great stories have turned into disgusting puddles of crud when the author gave in to peer pressure and tried to add romance. *gags* I will NOT do that. Not to this story! And Hiei will show up soon, k?  
  
: Dragon Sythe : I know what Gambit's powers and attitude were like in the original X-men, but I don't know his character that well from Evo. And as far as the language thing goes . . . o.O; Logan really DOES speak Japanese?! I thought I made that up, since he was a part of that awful experiment and I thought he might have been well-traveled from before! Yeesh! I'm psychic! . . . or psycho. One of the two! ^_^;  
  
: arrow-card : It warms my heart to know that I can bring a little pleasantness into someone's day. *sighs happily* My day is complete.  
  
: oOKeairaOo : Hiei WILL show up . . . just not now. Thanks for the support, though. ^_^;  
  
: Star04 : I'm glad that I actually managed to catch your interest, and I'm even MORE glad that you like my story. I'll be sure and let you know if I need any info on Lance, k? Thanks for the offer. ^_^  
  
: blue moon gurl : Here you go, but this one has to end, too. Sorry! ^_^  
  
: Pyro Dranzer : Glad you like the story. And the dictionaries can be found at www . freelang . net (remove the spaces). There should be a place that says 'download dictionary' and it'll take you to a page where you can choose the language that you want. Some of the definitions are a little off, but other than that, they're great!  
  
: Snowfire : I'm glad that you like it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
  
: cyn skysong : Here. An update. I hope you like it!  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE: If anyone can guess who the different auras belong to, you get a special mention at the beginning of the next A/N. If you can guess the 'violet shield' one, you get a cyber cookie! *waves cookie invitingly* Come on, you know you want it! 


	6. Welcome to the Institute

Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect. (Wait a few chapters . . . you'll see what I mean . . .)  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
READERS WHO FIGURED OUT ALL THREE AURAS AND THE SHIELD:  
  
Yusukeholic  
  
Wood Nymph  
  
Here's your cyber cookie! Enjoy!  
  
READERS WHO FIGURED OUT THE AURAS:  
  
Siora  
  
Genevra  
  
Carla  
  
Evil Towel  
  
ownerofattackcat  
  
oOKeairaOo  
  
- : - : - Chapter Six: Welcome to the Institute - : - : -  
  
Jean Grey brushed several stray tendrils of her auburn hair back behind her ear, squinting her eyes against the fierce wind kicked up by the landing jets of the Blackbird. Even from her place at the at the far side of the hanger where she stood among other Institute students, bits of dust and grit carried upon the wind still made stinging impacts upon her face.  
  
Surreptitiously, she tapped her telekinetic abilities and thickened the air in front of her face slightly, forming a shield, and she gave vent to a silent sigh of relief as the small specks of debris were deterred.  
  
She allowed her eyes to roam over the other students gathered to welcome the newcomers. Scott stood directly beside her, his eyes hidden by his familiar black and red shades, looking steadily toward the slowly descending Blackbird. Evan stood on Scott's other side, and beyond him was Rogue looking bored and disgusted with the world in general.  
  
Hank McCoy wasn't there --the Professor had thought it best to allow the new students a chance to get accustomed to some of the less-shocking 'quirks' of the students before springing Hank's appearance on them-- and Kitty and Kurt were nowhere to be seen---  
  
*BAMPH*  
  
Oh. There they were.  
  
Scott noticed the pair's arrival as well and turned to frown at Kurt. He raised his hands and tapped his right wrist pointedly.  
  
Kurt grinned sheepishly, but activated his inducer, and soon a normal- looking boy with medium-length blue-black hair stood in place of the blue- furred being. Kurt sent a thumbs-up back at his team leader.  
  
Jean stretched out her senses in search of the Professor, and found him still in Cerebro's chamber.  
  
~:Professor?:~  
  
The familiar, warm presence of Charles Xavier brushed against the edges of her mind. ~:Yes, Jean?:~  
  
~:Logan and Ororo are landing now. Aren't you coming?:~  
  
Weariness and deep regret tinged the Professor's mind-voice. ~:I am sorry, Jean, but I still have more searching to do. I'll have to speak to them tomorrow. Please make certain that they are well looked-after, won't you?:~  
  
~:I'll put Kurt and Kitty on tour duty after I show them to their rooms. Those two can make ANYONE loosen up.:~  
  
~:A good plan.:~  
  
~:Don't overexert yourself, Professor.:~  
  
~:I'll do what I must. It is imperative that I find where Shadow Tempest is hiding.:~  
  
Jean's mind-voice took on a stubborn, warning note. ~:Professor . . . !:~  
  
A deep chuckle echoed through her mind. ~:I'll be certain to get some rest. Just a little longer, though.:~  
  
~:Two hours,:~ she ordered sternly. ~:Or else I bring Logan and Scott and drag you off to your bedroom and tie you to your bed, Professor or not.:~  
  
~: . . . I don't have much choice BUT to obey, then, don't I?:~  
  
~:No, sir, you don't.:~  
  
Smiling slightly, she cut the link, but not before she heard the Professor chuckling once more.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurt watched expectantly as the loading ramp of the Blackbird lowered to the concrete floor with a low *thunk*. From its place wrapped around his waist, his tail twitched with suppressed excitement, but through sheer force of will he kept it tucked away where it wouldn't mess with the hologram the inducer was emitting.  
  
First to exit the sleek, black jet was Logan with Ororo following close behind. Ororo smiled brightly at the assembled welcoming party, and Logan snorted, his face expressionless. The students seemed to take that as a sign that they could come closer and moved in toward the two adults, calling greetings.  
  
Kurt and Kitty were two of the first to reach the adults. Kurt smiled excitedly. "Vhere are they? Did they come?"  
  
Ororo smiled. "They're coming. One of them didn't seem to want to wake up."  
  
A loud yell broke through the happy banter of the crowd. "SHIMATTA! [1]"  
  
All heads in the hanger jerked toward the open portal in the side of the jet, eyes wide.  
  
Logan snickered. "Sleepin' beauty's up," he said with a smirk.  
  
Ororo looked apprehensive. "Should we have let Shuichi wake him up?"  
  
Logan shrugged. "He wouldn't wake up for US, remember?"  
  
" . . . yes . . ."  
  
Two figures appeared on the ramp. One --a red-haired young woman-- was smiling slightly and laughing. The other --a young man with dark hair-- was rubbing tenderly at the back of his head, glaring blackly at the world in general and muttering what sounded like curses and threats under his breath at his companion.  
  
Logan was still laughing, but he managed to call out a comment that sounded neither reprimanding nor conciliatory. In fact, it sounded downright TEASING.  
  
The raven-haired young man sent a scorching glare toward the claw-bearing mutant and spat out a biting comment in return.  
  
Logan merely laughed harder.  
  
The redhead spoke in a quiet voice to her companion, and the raven-haired young man followed grudgingly as the girl walked down the ramp.  
  
Jean stepped up beside Kurt, giving Logan a look of disapproval. "Logan, you shouldn't tease the new ones."  
  
Kurt frowned. "Yah, it's not exactly a varm velcome---"  
  
A low, friendly laugh made him stop in mid-sentence, and he turned to see the Japanese redhead grinning at him, emerald eyes sparkling.  
  
"I assure you," said the woman . . . in a voice that was most definitely MALE, "That Yuusuke very much deserved that last comment."  
  
"Y-you---" Kurt caught himself before he could blurt out 'You're a GUY!' and instead said, "You know English!"  
  
The woman --MAN! he reminded himself sternly-- nodded. "Yes, and judging by your accent, you are a master of a second-language as well?"  
  
Kurt nodded. "Yah. German is mein first langvage."  
  
The raven-haired young man bit out another biting comment, still scowling, and the redhead laughed, answering lightly. The dark-haired boy grumbled but subsided.  
  
Jean frowned. "Is something wrong with your friend?"  
  
"Oh, I apologize!" The redhead looked abashed. "My name is Minamino Shuichi, and this is Urameshi Yuusuke . . . ah, Shuichi Minamino and Yuusuke Urameshi to you . . . and there's nothing's wrong with Yuusuke."  
  
"Except jetlag," grinned Logan.  
  
Shuichi smiled. "There is that."  
  
Jean looked down at two odd devices that she held in her hand. "Well, I suppose that you won't need one of these, since you know English, but your friend might appreciate being able to follow the conversation. Would he mind?"  
  
She held out her hand where the two foreigners could see. In her palm lay small, button-sized pieces of black plastic, round and flat like miniature, burnt pancakes.  
  
Yuusuke murmured what sounded like a question, and Shuichi nodded.  
  
"What are they, exactly?"  
  
"Neurotranslators," said Jean, matter-of-factly. "Doctor McCoy invented them a while back. They allow whoever wears them to understand whatever language the translator is programmed with by transmitting signals into the brain that let it comprehend what it's hearing."  
  
Shuichi arched an eyebrow, murmuring a translation under his breath to Yuusuke. The dark-haired boy looked dubious.  
  
Kurt jumped in with a reassuring grin. "They're harmless. Really. It's like . . . adding a new chunk of brain cells to your head, but they already have the information you need to understand English imprinted in them. The Doc's a genius."  
  
Shuichi translated once more, and after a long moment's deliberation, Yuusuke nodded, murmuring a reply of his own.  
  
"He'll try it."  
  
Jean picked up one of the odd devices and moved forward. Yuusuke's eyes narrowed as her hand neared his face, and Jean looked almost like she was going to back away right then from the force of the suspicious look alone, but the Japanese boy turned his head slightly, allowing her to place the small object against the skin behind his ear. It stuck firmly, and Jean backed away.  
  
Kurt had the odd thought that it was as though Jean had just been allowed to touch a dangerous, wild beast, and it had opted to allow her to live despite the transgression.  
  
He shook his head to clear away the strange thoughts. "So, can you understand me?"  
  
The young man blinked in surprise. "Yeah." He paused, then added, "This is . . . weird."  
  
Shuichi frowned and asked something in Japanese.  
  
Yuusuke's eyes widened. "What did you say?"  
  
The redhead's frown deepened. He repeated the comment.  
  
The dark-haired young man turned to scowl at Jean, taking a step nearer to her. "You never said it would take away my Japanese!"  
  
"It's a side effect," explained Jean, backing up a step, eyes wide. "We had to take away one language for you to learn a new one, but it isn't permanent . . ."  
  
"And you didn't say so BECAUSE . . . ?"  
  
"Hey!" Scott stepped between Jean and the irate foreigner. "Back off, man."  
  
"Yuusuke." Shuichi's voice was still the epitome of calm. Yuusuke turned to look back at his companion.  
  
Shuichi looked penetratingly at Yuusuke's face, then said something that Kurt couldn't understand at all. Judging by the frowns on the faces of the others, no one else could either. The words consisted of guttural growls and sibilant hisses, and it sounded like the language that beasts would speak. It made Kurt's fur stand on end.  
  
However, all of the tension drained out of Yuusuke's body at once, and he replied . . . in the same language.  
  
Shuichi smiled. "There's that, at least."  
  
"There's that," Yuusuke agreed.  
  
All around, the X-men exchanged confused glances.  
  
What, exactly, was 'that'?  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurt waited impatiently in the hallway outside of the two rooms assigned to the newcomers. Their doors were right next to each other, and Kurt knew that there was an inside door adjoining the rooms. The Professor thought that the pair might be more comfortable if they were close together . . . 'strangers in a strange land' and all that.  
  
Right now, Kurt was waiting for Yuusuke and Shuichi to finish unpacking the small bags of clothes and necessities that they had brought with them. And after they finally emerged, he would probably have to wait for Kitty to show up to give them the tour.  
  
He sighed. He hated waiting. Besides, the two newcomers seemed like such interesting people; his curiosity was eating him alive.  
  
He was considering a *BAMPH* down to the kitchens to grab a quick snack for while he waited when the door to Shuichi's room opened, and both Shuichi and Yuusuke came out.  
  
So, the Professor was right; they would want to hang out together a lot.  
  
"Hi!" Kurt called with a wave and a friendly grin. Both of the boys approached him. "I'll be your tour guide for today. My name's Kurt Wagner. Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier, but . . . vell." He shrugged.  
  
Shuichi nodded in understanding, his expression bland, but Kurt didn't like the way that Yuusuke continually stared at him as though he were trying to look THROUGH Kurt's chest. Kurt fidgeted uncomfortably.  
  
"Er, yah, anyvay, I guess that ve should go see vhat ve can see!" He frowned. "But I suppose ve should vait for Kitty. She doesn't like being left behind."  
  
"That's fine," Shuichi said calmly.  
  
Yuusuke gazed steadily at Kurt's face as though memorizing every detail. Kurt fidgeted some more.  
  
"First," said Yuusuke, his voice low, resembling a growl. "I'd appreciate it if you could explain something to me."  
  
Kurt jerked in surprise. "Vhat is it?"  
  
Yuusuke's eyes narrowed, and Kurt felt decidedly uneasy at the odd, penetrating gaze.  
  
"Please explain," said Yuusuke again, "Why is it that, when I look at you I see a human boy, but if I reach out to Sense you, I see a being with three- fingered hands, fangs, golden eyes, and blue fur?"  
  
"Vas!? [2]" Kurt gulped nervously. His eyes darted between the two boys, but the look one Shuichi's face was as closed as Yuusuke's was suspicious. "Ah . . ." His face fell, and he backed away a step or two, praying that someone --ANYONE-- would come along and diffuse this time-bomb of a situation.  
  
"Oh, verdammen [3] . . ."  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
[1] Shimatta- Japanese: Dammit!  
  
[2] Vas?!- German: What?!  
  
[3] Verdammen- German: 'damn'  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR THE LAST CHAPTER:  
  
: d : She meant it like 'freak.' Poor Kurama. And here's another chappie for you!  
  
: lemmings_please... don't tell mom I'm here... : *winks* It's okay. I'm writing this story when I should be working on my chemistry homework, but don't you tell anyone either! And I'm glad you like this crossover. I've always wondered why there weren't more X-men/YYH crossovers; they fit so well together. Heck, there are more YYH/Harry Potter crossovers out there than X-men/YYH. *shrugs* Oh, well.  
  
: Siora : You LIKED having Kurama's mom act like THAT!? I was kinda' going for an OPPOSITE reaction! Sheesh! And congrats on figuring out the auras.  
  
: Ryoken : Thankies!  
  
: Genevra : Here you go! A new chapter!  
  
: Yusukeholic : Dang, man (or woman, whatever)! Do YOU have a Jagan eye? How in the world did you figure it out? I am SO UBERLY IMPRESSED. I thought no one would figure out the Jagan bit. Congrats, and enjoy your cyber cookie!  
  
: Tione : *giggles* Oh, your poor readers! Send them lots of get-well cards, ne? And I MIGHT reveal Atsuko's reaction later, but no promises!  
  
: carla : Don't worry, Hiei'll be here soon. It'll be all right.  
  
: Evil Towel : I. LOVE. YOUR. SCREENNAME. Just for the record. And I'm glad you like the story. Congrats on figuring out the auras.  
  
: Tina : Hiei'll show up SOON. Thanks for the support.  
  
: QG : Thanks bunches, and thanks again for the info about Logan. Geeze, he really has a history behind him, doesn't he? I'll have to research his character some more so I don't royally mess up his parts in the story. Hmm . . . *goes off to research*  
  
: Rurouni Saiyan : Poor dear! *huggles* Take some Advil and drink some nice hot tea; that'll fix your brain muscles right up!  
  
: leacar310 : Thanks, and sorry for confusing you. I'll clear it up later, I promise.  
  
: SilverKnight7 : *eyes screen name* You wouldn't happen to be a fan of .hack//SIGN, would you?  
  
: Risingangel12 : Two reasons: a) the original X-men doesn't come on anymore (at least not where I can watch it) so I'd have a hard problem figuring out everyone's characters, and b) Kurt is TOO cute to not put in this story! This is one girl who DOES 'dig 'de fuzzy dude'!  
  
: Trickster_the_fox : Here's another chapter, and I happen to LIKE the spelling 'Yuusuke'! Anywho, if I change my spelling now, it would look funny. Hmph.  
  
: arrow-card : Here's an update! Enjoy!  
  
: BabbleQueen : It's okay; only a few people figured them out anyway. Thanks for trying!  
  
: Dragon Sythe : Sorry. Yuusuke has the blue aura, and Kurama's is green and gold. You're nowhere close on the purple shield, though. S'alright. I love ya' anyway! And thanks for the tidbit about Logan.  
  
: ownerofattackcat : You got the first three, but you're nowhere close on the violet shield. Sorry! I'll explain the auras later, I promise.  
  
: oOKeairaOo : Way to go! Great job on the auras, but no luck on the shield. Thanks for all the support in writing this!  
  
: Snowfire : Thanks! I love writing 'bamphing' too! It's so much FUN! Yayness!  
  
: Yayo : Yeah, poor Kurama. I feel awful for doing that to him!  
  
: TrueChildOfDarkness : Thanks for the advice, and I think this chapter is a bit longer than the others. Please consider that I write a chapter a day ON TOP OF my homework. I can't do much about chapter length without flunking school *winces* and getting murdered by my mom for my efforts. *shudders and goes to hide under the bed*  
  
: Wood Nymph : Thanks for the review, and congrats on figuring out the auras and shield!  
  
: Pewter : Sorry, but you mixed up Hiei and Yuusuke, but you came darn close. I liked how you explained your choices, and I'm glad that you like the story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! 


	7. Misunderstandings and a New Arrival

Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect. (Wait a few chapters . . . you'll see what I mean . . .)  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
- : - : - Chapter Seven: Misunderstandings and a New Arrival - : - : -  
  
Kitty sprinted down the hallways of the Institute, heading unerringly toward the wing where the two new students were housed.  
  
She had just come from a very long talk with Jean and Scott about 'Things- Of-Which-The-Newbies-Are-NOT-To-Know' . . . i.e. the Danger Room, the extracurricular exploits of the X-men, Hank and Kurt's true appearances (for the time being), and NO --once more for emphasis-- NO talking about Shadow Tempest!  
  
God, her ears were still ringing from Scott's stern, ringing announcement about that last one. Duh, like she'd go blabbing something like THAT out to strangers. Who did they think she was?  
  
Kurt was probably fidgeting himself into an epileptic spasm from the sheer boredom of waiting for her. Kitty hoped that he wouldn't rub the foreigners the wrong way with his . . . enthusiastic . . . attitude. Scott already had a grudge against Yuusuke for his behavior toward Jean in the hangar. The last thing that the Professor needed was having Scott AND the foreigners stalking around with chips on their shoulders.  
  
Kitty wished that she had worn sneakers instead of her sandals; then she wouldn't have to run so slowly.  
  
To save on time, she took a right turn through a wall, phasing through several unoccupied rooms (and one occupied shower room --"GHACK! KITTY!" "Oops! Like, sorry, Bobby!"--) and reappeared in the hallway that turned onto the hallway that housed the two Japanese boys.  
  
She paused for a moment, catching her breath and willing away her blush. Who knew that Bobby had such a nice---  
  
"---I see a being with three-fingered hands, fangs, golden eyes, and blue fur?"  
  
Kitty froze. " . . . Kurt . . . ?"  
  
She crept over to peer around the corner of the wall, and her blood turned to ice.  
  
The dark haired boy --Yuusuke, the temperamental one-- was looming over Kurt, a look upon his face suggesting that he was NOT pleased with Kurt's 'look.'  
  
Kurt stammered something in reply, but Kitty's eyes widened even further when she noticed that Kurt's inducer was still sending out a perfectly normal holograph of a human boy.  
  
How in the WORLD could Yuusuke have seen through the holograph . . . ?  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurama closely watched the varying expressions of shock, confusion, and fear flitting across the boy's face.  
  
Yuusuke had informed the redhead of his suspicions about the boy while they had been alone in their rooms, and Kurama had been inclined to agree. Even though he hadn't been able to see through the illusion as easily as Yuusuke had, this 'Kurt Wagner' smelled vastly different from the other mutants they had encountered.  
  
Yuusuke sent a glance back over his shoulder at Kurama. ="What do you think?"=  
  
="I can sense his energy, and he's no demon, if that's what you mean,"= replied Kurama calmly. ="At least, nothing above an E or D class."=  
  
Yuusuke smirked wryly. ="What does your nose tell you?"=  
  
Kurama frowned down at the quaking boy, sifting through the scents emanating from him.  
  
=" . . . like static,"= he said at last, puzzled. ="Like electricity, and fear, and fainter scents underneath . . . musky, slightly like spices. Like my fur in my fox-form, but with almost no Youki and Reiki scents attached . . . I suppose the fur scent makes sense, as you say that he appeared to you as a furry creature of some sort."=  
  
="Blue fur, crouched over, two-toed feet, three-fingered hands, long tail around his waist, gold eyes, and fangs,"= Yuusuke said. ="Unlike any demon I've seen, and I've seen quite a few."=  
  
Kurama smiled. ="You are . . . how do they say it here? . . . 'preaching to the choir,' I believe is the term I am searching for."=  
  
="So, a mutation?"=  
  
="It has to be."=  
  
Yuusuke turned back to Kurt, but without the forbidding scowl upon his face, he didn't look half as dangerous. "Is it a part of your mutation?"  
  
"Ah . . ." Kurt swallowed nervously. "Yah. I vas born . . . different."  
  
Kurama tilted his head to one side, his eyes appraising. Now that he knew to look for it, he could spot slight defects in the illusion hiding Kurt's true features: small glitches around his joints when he moved, the stiff appearance of his clothes, and his skin tone remained forever the same. He hadn't paled an iota when Yuusuke had confronted him.  
  
"Kurt," Kurama began, "What holds the . . . illusion . . . over you?"  
  
The boy shifted uncomfortably, but at last he held out his right wrist, indicating the black, watch-like device around his wrist.  
  
"It's called a holographic inducer," he said. "They made it so I could . . . fit in."  
  
Kurt pushed a small button on the side of the 'watch,' and immediately Kurama found himself gazing upon the odd being that Yuusuke had described.  
  
The blue-furred creature waved a hand --three-fingered, as Yuusuke had said. Two long fingers and an opposing thumb--, grinning sheepishly and with no small amount of nervousness. "Hallo."  
  
Kurama smiled. This boy was no demon, just another mutant. "Personally, I think this appearance suits you better. The illusion is . . . stiff."  
  
Yuusuke nodded, his expression showing his interest. "Gotta' agree with Ku-- Shuichi." He caught himself before he could blurt out Kurama's true name. "I like this much better. Kurt, doesn't that . . . holo-whatever . . . feel funny?"  
  
Kurt's nervous expression lightened to one of relief. "Yah. Vhen I first turn it on, it makes my fur stand on end. It itches."  
  
Kurama laughed, noting to himself that the scent of static had disappeared as soon as Kurt had deactivated the odd device. "I can imagine."  
  
Yuusuke extended his hand with a smile. "Let's try this again, no? . . . Hi. I'm Yuusuke Urameshi, number one fighter at Sara Yashiki High School and newfound mutant. Who are you?"  
  
Kurt eyed the hand for one moment before grinning broadly. His tail untwined from around his waste and looped around the Japanese boy's palm. "I'm Kurt Vagner, the Institute's all-around lovable prankster and resident fuzzy, blue dude. Pleased to meet you."  
  
Yuusuke's smile transformed into a grin as they shook hands . . . er, limbs.  
  
"Cool."  
  
- : - : - Eight forty-five That Night - : - : -  
  
~:Jean?:~  
  
Jean sat up straighter where she was seated beside Scott, watching a show along with Evan and Rogue. ~:Yes, Professor?:~  
  
~:How are the two new boys doing? Yuusuke and Shuichi?:~  
  
Jean smiled. ~:They and Kurt were thick as thieves all afternoon. Apparently, Yuusuke's ability allowed him to see through Kurt's inducer, and they had quite the little confrontation before they sorted it out.:~  
  
The Professor's tone was colored with worry. ~:Is everything all right?:~  
  
~:Fine, for now. Kitty overhead most everything, and she says that they worked everything out. She said it was an . . . interesting conversation. Shuichi and Yuusuke spoke some more in that odd language of theirs. Now, Yuusuke and Shuichi seem to find Kurt's appearance interesting rather than frightening. And . . . from what I've been able to sense, Kurt and Yuusuke and planning out a few 'surprises' for people. Keep on your toes, Professor.:~  
  
~:I'll certainly watch my step,:~ agreed Xavier wryly. ~:And . . . what are your impressions of them?:~  
  
Jean frowned. Scott noticed the expression and looked at her worriedly, but he recognized the faraway look in her eyes that meant she was speaking with something through telepathy. He left her alone.  
  
~:That's been bothering me, Professor. I can't sense anything from them. No emotions or thoughts at all. Just sort of a . . . violet hue around them . . . as odd as that sounds.:~ She grimaced. ~:Kurt's been practically bubbling with excitement and happiness, but Shuichi and Yuusuke are . . . blank.:~  
  
The Professor sighed. ~:I get the same results, but it feels more like running into a wall for me. I've never seen such a shield.:~  
  
~:Shield?:~  
  
~:Someone has quite a block over their minds. I wonder if it is a part of Yuusuke's abilities. Perhaps his extraordinary senses are linked to a strong power of mind.:~  
  
Jean's frown deepened. ~:We've never run across a case like that before.:~  
  
~:I had never seen a case like Scott's, Kurt's or Kitty's before I met them, either.:~  
  
Jean conceded the point. ~:And Shuichi?:~  
  
~:I shall have to test him tomorrow. I---:~ He broke off, and a spurt of alarm shot down the link.  
  
Jean sat bolt upright, startling Rogue, Scott and Evan into staring at her. ~:Professor!?:~  
  
~:The mansion alarms are going off. There's an intruder.:~ The Professor's mind-voice was terse. ~:In Yuusuke's room. Get up there. Take Scott and Rogue. I'm sending Logan to meet you.:~  
  
He cut the link, and Jean was scrambling to her feet. "There's a break-in in Yuusuke's room! Move it!"  
  
Soon, the living room was empty and all to be heard was the sound of fading footsteps pounding up the stairs.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke flopped backwards onto his bed, his head whirling with thoughts of all he had seen in the duration of the after noon. Kurama seated himself more gracefully on the chair by the desk against the far wall. The room was mostly in shadow --Yuusuke had decided to not fiddle with the light-switch-- , and outside, the sky was turning a deep shade of dull violet-blue.  
  
" 'Mutant ball' ?" asked Yuusuke disbelievingly. "They actually play a game called 'mutant ball' ?"  
  
"I thought that it looked entertaining," said Kurama, amusement coloring his tone. "I wonder how they would react if all the plants on the field started passing the ball amongst themselves?"  
  
That startled a laugh out of Yuusuke. "Oh, you have GOT to let me know when you plan to pull THAT one off! I'll buy a camera and come watch."  
  
Kurama faked disappointment. "Oh, you won't play? What fun is that?"  
  
Yuusuke rolled up on one elbow, sending the youko a sardonic look. "I've been dead before, Kurama. Twice. I consider living quite a LOT of fun."  
  
Kurama laughed, emerald eyes sparkling. "You must admit that this has been a busy day."  
  
"Yeah." Yuusuke sighed, flopping onto his stomach. "I wonder where Hiei is . . ." he murmured. "He'd probably get a kick out of lighting the ball on fire during one of the games."  
  
" . . . I'll keep that idea in mind for later, Detective."  
  
Yuusuke bolted upright. "HIEI?!"  
  
"Hn."  
  
A shadow of slight stature detached itself from the sill of the open window, red eyes glowing in the near-darkness. There was a pale flash of ivory-white fangs as the fire-demon smirked. "You're getting sloppy, Yuusuke. Sloppiness gets you killed."  
  
Yuusuke snorted. "You know I can't sense you worth shit if you don't want me to."  
  
"Hn. True."  
  
Kurama was smiling at the black-clad Jaganshi. "Good to see you decided to show up."  
  
"Fox," said Hiei, by way of greeting.  
  
" . . . So . . ." Yuusuke said, drawing out the word meditatively. "Where've you been lurking all this time?"  
  
"Checking the defenses."  
  
The detective snorted once more. "Why am I not surprised?"  
  
Hiei sneered. "If you hadn't been so busy admiring the local ningen entertainment, you would have noticed how truly vulnerable this heap is."  
  
"Is that so---"  
  
Pounding footsteps sounded in the hallway outside, and Yuusuke and Kurama got to their feet, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Hiei's sword was unsheathed in less than a heartbeat. Kurama's hand was buried in his red mane of hair, no doubt firmly wrapped around one of his rose seeds.  
  
Without warning, the door to the room slammed open, revealing several dark figures silhouetted against the light of the hallway.  
  
"Hey, bub!" Logan's gravelly voice was easily recognizable. "Either drop the sword or get reborn as shish kebab. It's you're call."  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
REVIEWS FOR CHAPTER SIX:  
  
: Odd-I-See : Er . . . right, right, right, and wrong! Sorry, but the shield is Hiei's Jagan. Nice try though, and I'll work on the little Shiori problem ASAP.  
  
: angelbird12241 : Yep, I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I hope you enjoyed the meeting scene as well!  
  
: Bloodfang : Here you go . . . ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! Bwahahahaha! I am EVIL . . . but you love me anyway. ^_^  
  
: DarkDragon : *squeals happily* Yay! A cyber cookie! *huggles DD* Thankies, and you're right about ALL FOUR of the auras/shield! Way to go!  
  
: Takahashi Shuurin : Thanks. I'm glad you like it, and I had hoped that it was an original idea. As far as your reviews, go ahead. I don't mind if you write some Japanese in your reviews. ^_^ I have a Japanese-English dictionary on my computer, so I can always look up any words I don't know off the top of my head! . . . Tell me, do you actually live in Japan, or is it just your first language? I'm very curious.  
  
: arrow-card : All right, DEAR, here's a new chapter. And look. See? SEE?! *points* Hiei! Right there! Happy?  
  
: someone : Nice screen name. And Hiei is right THERE. *points* See him?  
  
: Snowfire : Here's a new chappie for you. Enjoy it, and don't forget to review. I'm rather proud of myself for getting one of these out daily, too. *pouts* My fingers hurt from all that typing. *goes to get Advil*  
  
: Arashi : Four out of four correct as far as the auras go! Congrats. And as for your question about Kurorashi and Shadow Tempest, *places a finger beside her nose, pulling off a Xellos grin* Sora wa himitsu desu!  
  
: rogue solus : No romance, sorry. But Rogue/Kurama DOES sound like a tantalizing pair . . . hmmmm.  
  
: Rurouni Saiyan : Kurt's my favorite, too! Rogue's in second place, tied with Lance. *drools* He may be evil, but he is FINE. Anywho, enjoy your tea. *waves her own mug in the air* I'm enjoying mine!  
  
: Evil Towel : I STILL love your screen name! And don't be mad at lemmings_please. She probably won't review again! *sniffles* And as far as Hiei goes, I think you know the answer to that now.  
  
: Pillow : I'm glad you like it. It's nice to know that some people appreciate my hard work. And now you have Hiei, too. Thanks bunches for the cake! *goes off to hide the cake away from her sweet-tooth-bearing father*  
  
: crazygurl2003 : That page I recommended in the first chapter? *frowns* It is in English. I just checked it today. It has some Kanji translations on it, but those are just side-notes. The Four Realms is a true-blue English page. Maybe you wrote the wrong URL or something.  
  
: fdgs : Here. Enjoy.  
  
: Chronicles Bailey : Here's a new chapter. Enjoy, and review again, please!  
  
: Dragon Sythe : Yuusuke's Reiki is kinda' bluish-white, and Hiei's black dragon is violet and black, so I mixed that in with a bit of red to show his fire-demon heritage. Yuusuke IS more powerful than Hiei and Kurama. Remember, Yuusuke's a Toushin (Demon Lord or War God) meaning that he's about an S level. And you might see a bit of Pietro. I don't know about Wanda (I don't write psychotic characters well . . .)  
  
: hanyougirl : Here's more!  
  
: TrueChildOfDarkness: I'll read your story when I have the time, and I'm glad you're so understanding about the chapter lengths. Some people act like I've got no outside life! *growls* At least SOME PEOPLE appreciate me!  
  
: kurafoxgirl : Look. Here's more, and there's Hiei. Happy?  
  
: Gemini Star 1 : Hope you liked the whole deal with Kurt! And I am SO glad that everyone likes this story!  
  
: Lobo-Chan : Aw, don't worry about not guessing. I'll probably have another chapter like that, and you can try for a cyber-cookie then! Until then, thankies! *hugs*  
  
: YYHgurl : There's Hiei! And I'm glad you like this. I do my utmost to keep people in character; it bugs me if I post anything that makes them OOC.  
  
: Yusukeholic : Yeah, majin forms would be awesome. *imagines beating up a certain annoying girl at her school* And think of all the intimidation tactics. Haul someone off into a dark corner, show 'em your fangs and tattoos, and VOILA! Instant humble servant ready and willing to do your every bidding! *sighs blissfully* Oh, YEAH . . .  
  
: QG : It's nice to know someone agrees with me on the Yuusuke/Yusuke bit! Thank you! I'm glad you think that I'm a 'captivating writer'! ^.^ Happy! And feel free to send me any of those cyber-cookies you mentioned! *puppy- dog eyes*  
  
: *~CLS~* : o.O; . . . Yeah, I WILL ignore that first paragraph. And, yeah, Kurama probably WILL have to go around telling everyone he's male. *snickers* Can't you just picture him at school one day, getting fed up with everything, and standing on top of a table screaming, "For the final time: I. AM. A. GUY!" ? *sighs* Priceless.  
  
: Tina : Here's more!  
  
: Meikyuri : I'm glad you like the story so much. I think that there should be more YYH/X-men crossovers. Why don't you make that one you were thinking of?  
  
: Yayo : *snatches Kurama plushie away from Yayo* MINE! *huggles plushie* Yep yep yep. I am definitely female. Thankies! *huggles plushie some more* And, yeah, I like to think that this is an original plot. *glares* If anyone steals this particular plot, I'll--- *mutters darkly under her breath for a few moments, then remembers Yayo and smiles brightly* Anywho, thanks for the support! And for my Kura-babe plushie! *huggles some more* 


	8. Where There's Smoke

Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect. (Wait a few chapters . . . you'll see what I mean . . .)  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
- : - : - LAST TIME: - : - : -  
  
"Hey, bub!" Logan's gravelly voice was easily recognizable. "Either drop the sword or get reborn as shish kebab. It's you're call."  
  
A/N: I was SO tempted to put 'shish ke-BUB,' but I restrained myself. ^_^;  
  
- : - : - Chapter Eight: Where There's Smoke . . . - : - : -  
  
Several things happened almost at once.  
  
In response to Logan's threat, Hiei bared his too-sharp fangs in an amused smirk and raised his sword into a ready position, widening his stance.  
  
In other words, he did almost everything possible in body language aside from rude gestures to encourage the other man to attack.  
  
Jean, Scott, Evan, and Rogue all piled into the room right behind Logan while the burly man stood in a ready stance, his arms wide and his claws unsheathed, the deadly blades glimmering in the dim light filtering through the open doorway at his back.  
  
Yuusuke swiftly dissipated the reiki that he had been gathering in his palm, recognizing the 'intruders' as his newfound 'allies' and knowing that a reiki shotgun blast was a NO-NO. He also saw Hiei's typical 'Bring-It-On' attitude and groaned inwardly, sensing trouble bursting into bloom faster than one of Kurama's roses when the youko was threatened.  
  
Kurama had already pulled one of the aforementioned blossoms from his thick mane of red hair and held it ready in his right hand, eyeing both groups apprehensively, praying silently that no one did anything stupid.  
  
. . . Is anyone here familiar with Murphy's Law?  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Logan bared his teeth in a feral grin, the blood in his veins heating with his battle excitement. The red-eyed runt on the far side of the room, standing between and behind Yuusuke and Shuichi, smirked in a way that made Logan wish to attack all the more.  
  
His eyes skimmed over the tense, alert postures of the new transfer students, reassuring himself that they were unharmed, before moving his gaze back to the intruder who held a slender sword at the ready, in a perfect position to attack Shuichi, Yuusuke, or any of the assembled X-men.  
  
Had the boy's eyes just glowed?  
  
"Yuusuke," he said firmly, "Shuichi, when I move, hightail it outta' there, y' understand?"  
  
Shuichi stiffened. "I don't think---"  
  
Logan let out a bellow and charged toward the black-clad trespasser, one set of claws aimed unerringly at the small being's throat.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke had time for one, crystal-clear, unbelievably profound thought.  
  
It was something along the lines of 'That stupid toddler REALLY hates me.'  
  
Then he was pushing himself firmly in between Hiei and the oncoming clawed mutant, hoping that his combined reiki and youki auras were strong enough to turn aside metal blades.  
  
Jean cried out in horror. Scott and Evan looked aghast. Rogue's skin was even paler than normal.  
  
Logan's eyes widened, and he tried to stop, but his momentum was too much and he was less than a second away from his claws catching the boy firmly in his ribcage.  
  
Yuusuke braced himself . . . for an impact that never came.  
  
Something long, thin and green --Yuusuke recognized Kurama's signature Rose- Whip with a definite lifting of his spirits-- shot out of the darkness and coiled around Logan's wrist, jerking the man off balance and sending him stumbling straight into Kurama's waiting arms.  
  
Within seconds, the claw-bearing mutant was firmly restrained, a loop of Kurama's Rose-Whip around his neck --Kurama had apparently un-grown the thorns so as to keep the man in one piece-- and his arms pinned firmly behind his back.  
  
"Now that I've got you where you won't attack my friends unnecessarily," growled Kurama in a dangerous voice, "Are you ready to listen to reason?"  
  
Logan --doubtless amazed that he had been restrained by a young man at least two-thirds his size-- still managed a somewhat intimidating growl. "What're you up to?"  
  
. . . Intimidating, that is, if you weren't a veteran member of the Reikai Tantei, a team that had faced down, and DEFEATED, demons that had given the God of Death the heebie-jeebies.  
  
"I am attempting to keep everyone's skin safely in one piece," said Kurama, his voice still holding that soft, feral note. From where he stood, Yuusuke could see a bit of gold shining in the other's irises. "Will you allow me to do so, or must I stand like this throughout the entire discussion?"  
  
A new voice, firm and authoritative, broke in from the direction of the doorway. "I believe that we would ALL enjoy an explanation. Jean, get the lights, please. Shuichi --you ARE Shuichi, are you not?--, release Logan, if you would be so kind."  
  
The lights flicked on as though of their own accord, and Yuusuke gazed suspiciously at Jean before returning his attention to the newcomer.  
  
A bald man --though obviously not overly old-- seated in a wheelchair, was standing (sitting?) in the open doorway, the slender form of Ororo Monroe standing at his shoulder.  
  
Kurama hesitated momentarily at the man's order, glancing toward Yuusuke.  
  
="S'all right."= Yuusuke examined the man who was obviously some sort of authority figure, judging by the way the other mutants had stepped out of the way as he entered. ="I think that's the Xavier guy. Let Logan go."=  
  
Kurama nodded once, releasing Logan's wrists, and the Rose-Whip shrank away, shriveling back into the small blossom from whence it had grown, and then back into a seed which Kurama secreted away in his hair once more.  
  
The bald man's eyes missed none of this. "Is that your gift, Shuichi?"  
  
Kurama's eyes flicked over the man's form, weighing his worth, before nodding once. "Plants and I are . . . old friends."  
  
A smirk crossed the youko's lips, a smirk which only Hiei and Yuusuke knew the meaning for.  
  
Old friends, indeed. Try several millennia's worth of 'friendship.'  
  
The man nodded his understanding. "I see." His eyes moved to Yuusuke, and past him to Hiei. "And your OTHER friend?"  
  
Kurama's smirk took up permanent residence upon his lips. "I'd like you to meet Jaganshi Hiei . . . the third member of our little group."  
  
Logan and Ororo stiffened in sync with one another. "HIEI?!" they chorused incredulously.  
  
"I thought that you had missed the meeting!" Ororo continued, shocked.  
  
"You're security was as lax then as it is now," sneered Hiei. "It was ridiculously easy to infiltrate that black monstrosity of a machine that you brought."  
  
Yuusuke --having stepped away from the fire demon within moments of Xavier's arrival-- sent a suspicious glance back toward Hiei, but he kept his mouth shut.  
  
Logan had no such inhibition. "I didn't smell you anywhere 'round."  
  
="Neither did I,"= muttered Kurama.  
  
"Hn."  
  
Logan growled, sounding like nothing so much as a furious wolf.  
  
Xavier sent a Look in Logan's direction, and immediately Logan's growl quieted.  
  
Yuusuke exchanged a curious glance with Kurama.  
  
Yet another mystery to add to the ever-growing pile.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
~:Logan . . . :~  
  
~:They're avoiding the truth, Chuck. I can smell it.:~  
  
~:We've all done it at one time or another.:~  
  
~:We can't afford to let anyone keep any little secrets that could be dangerous, especially with Shadow Tempest runnin' 'round on the loose!:~  
  
~:They'll tell us when they're ready.:~  
  
~:Chuck . . . !:  
  
~:Logan, trust me. I sense no danger from them.:~  
  
~:Tell that to the hairs on the back of my neck. Maybe YOU can make 'em settle down . . . :~  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Xavier smiled slightly at the last comment, but he hid the expression well. He looked from face-to-face of the assembled mutants. From Logan's, Rogue's, and Evan's suspicious scowls, Jean's and Scott's disbelieving stares, Ororo's stunned expression, and the closed, emotionless masks in place on Yuusuke's, Hiei's, and Shuichi's faces.  
  
An interesting group, to be certain.  
  
And no doubt, they would make certain that it was an interesting year.  
  
"It is late," he said at last, "and I'm sure everyone is tired. Perhaps we had best discus this in the morning, when tempers are not so . . . frayed." He looked pointedly at Logan, whose scowl deepened in response. "I shall expect all three of you in my office after breakfast tomorrow morning, is that clear?"  
  
All three boys nodded, but only Shuichi answered with a soft "Yes, sir."  
  
Xavier nodded. "I will see you then." He looked toward Hiei. "Do you mind sharing a room with one of your friends, or would you like for us to find you a separate room?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Have a little respect for the man, bub!"  
  
"Logan . . ."  
  
" . . . sorry, Chuck."  
  
Xavier looked toward Hiei once more. "Well?"  
  
Yuusuke slapped a hand across the smaller boy's mouth. "He'll be fine with us, thanks. WON'T YOU, Hiei?"  
  
Scowling, the red-eyed boy yanked his head away from the other's grasp, but he didn't contradict anything that the other had said. Xavier left it at that.  
  
A short mental command to the members of the X-men ensured that the room was soon emptied of all but Yuusuke, Shuichi, and the new boy Hiei, whose mind, Xavier had been surprised to find, was surrounded by a glowing violet shield, identical to the ones protecting Yuusuke's and Shuichi's thoughts from outside prying.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke shut the door firmly after the other's had left, then turned to level a cold glare at the smirking fire-demon.  
  
="All right,"= snapped the Toushin, faint blue tattoos flickering in and out of existence on his face and arms. ="Spill it, Sparky."=  
  
Hiei looked nonchalant. ="What?"=  
  
="You know DAMN WELL what I mean!"= Yuusuke's hair was now fluffing up in odd, spiking tufts that grew and shrank in sync with the pulsing markings on his skin. ="How in the seven levels of hell did you get here? What do you know about the assignment? How much have you seen? Why in the hell haven't you shown us that you were here before? How do you . . ."= Yuusuke faltered slightly. =" . . . how in the WORLD do you know English!?"=  
  
Hiei tilted his head just the merest millimeter to one side. ="Let me see . . . I rode on the plane with both of you, I know as much as Kurama does right now, enough, I didn't feel like it, and my Jagan allowed me to lift the language from the clawed man's mind. Anything else, Detective?"=  
  
="You couldn't have been on the jet,"= put in Kurama. ="I would have smelled you."=  
  
="Yeah,"= growled Yuusuke, ="Where the freak were you?"=  
  
Hiei sneered, amusement clear in his expression. ="I'll tell you this much: it get's damn cold at thirty-thousand feet."=  
  
Kurama's eyes widened in disbelief. ="You didn't!"=  
  
Hiei arched one eyebrow beneath his white headband.  
  
Kurama groaned. ="Oh, kami, you DID!"=  
  
Yuusuke had been shocked out of his semi-transformations to his Toushin form. ="You hitched a ride OUTSIDE OF THE PLANE?!"=  
  
The other eyebrow arched to join the other. ="You would have smelled me were I inside. I wished to have a chance to look around this place before anyone knew I had arrived."=  
  
Yuusuke's anger began to rise again. ="And THEN you come in here, PURPOSEFULLY tripping the alarms --don't give me that look, I know you could have avoided them!-- and bringing half the Institute tromping into MY bedroom where you THEN attempt to get yourself skewered by the resident slash 'n' hack expert---"=  
  
="You were frightened for me, MY LORD?"= asked Hiei with a smirk.  
  
Yuusuke scowled darkly, still VERY irritated that he had come that close to the tips of the other mutant's claws. ="For your information, I was worried that you were about to skewer one of our new allies, thank you SO much for your concern. Save us all a lot of stress, and keep your sword sheathed until it's time for some real slicing and dicing, got it?"=  
  
="Hn."=  
  
="I KNEW you were going to say THAT!"=  
  
="New cognitive powers surfacing, Detective?"=  
  
Yuusuke snarled viciously. ="You are SO sleeping in Kurama's room!"=  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR THE LAST CHAPTER:  
  
: Jax : Here you go. Do you ever say anything more than two words?  
  
: demon eyes kyo : Heck yeah, Toushin Yuusuke's gonna' make an appearance! Several, if I have it my way. And I'm going to do something . . . interesting . . . with the Brotherhood.  
  
: Wood Nymph : Here's a chappie for you. Enjoy!  
  
: Kittengrl39 : See, you've got Hiei now. Aren't you happy? And I'm glad that you think my story is so entertaining. Sorry about your aura guesses. Have a consolation cyber lollipop. *hands over lollipop* Enjoy!  
  
: Animegirl8 : You'll find out what Shadow Tempest is as soon as I get to that chapter, now be patient. And as far as your threat goes . . . well, Hiei wouldn't hurt ME. I'm actually gonna' make him ultimately cool in this story. He wouldn't want me to BASH him, now WOULD HE? *glares at Hiei, who pales and shakes his head* Thought so.  
  
: zippy-puppy3 : Thanks, and ditto.  
  
: angelbird12241 : Glad you're enjoying it, and here's more for you!  
  
: oOKeairaOo : Don't worry; Youko Kurama WILL make an appearance, hopefully in both of his forms. *crosses fingers* And as far as the updates, I update once a day except on Sundays. I think that I must update so late that you just don't find the chapter until the next day. *shrugs* Whatever.  
  
: Aya-Mikage2002 : Here's another chapter, and I've got to agree with you: having a human threaten Hiei is UBER ironic. Of course, Yuusuke beat Hiei when he was just starting as a detective, but you've got to add in that Yuusuke had LOTS of luck on his side and demon blood in his veins, even if it wasn't fully awakened yet . . . .;; I just confused myself. I'm gonna' go now.  
  
: Dragon Sythe : Oh, yeah. I'm gonna' milk Hiei's presence at the Institute for all it's worth. Thanks for all you're reviews! ^_^ *huggles* You're so nice!  
  
: Siora : Yep, Hiei's there now. And here's another chappie. Enjoy.  
  
: Rurouni Saiyan : Not in THIS chapter, they won't. Maybe later.  
  
: Takahashi Shuurin : I think I translated everything okay. I have a friend who has taken Japanese and she helped. Let's see if I got everything:  
  
a) English is your third language (VERY impressive, by the way, knowing three languages).  
  
b) No, I know no Chinese whatsoever. I only know English, bits and pieces of Japanese, and Latin (and if you say it's a dead language, I'll have to hurt you. That's a pet peeve of mine).  
  
c) Er, yes, you can use 'overloaded' in that context.  
  
d) You are from Singapore (spelling?). I'm from Georgia in the U.S.  
  
e) Arashi wa 'tempest' desu (Is that correct?).  
  
The only sentence that I had trouble with was . . . 'haha atashi wa honto ni atama wa yokunai desu ne?' Could I get a little help on that one? ^_^;  
  
Thanks. It's fun reading and writing back to you. I enjoy it. Let me know if I use a term that confuses you. I tend to use a lot of colloquialisms.  
  
: CJ-Chan : Yep. Hiei's getting a little sloppy, too, no?  
  
: lemmings_please : You tell 'em, Lemmings! Yep, Hiei's in it now, so rejoice! And I'm doing my best to update once a day, every day, except on Sundays. I need a break every now and then, you know? Enjoy the rest of the story!  
  
: hiei-luver45 : *sighs blissfully* 'Best crossover ever.' I feel LOVED. *hands over a Hiei plushie* Take it with my thanks, dear reviewer, and be certain to enjoy the rest of the story. *sighs again* 'Best. Crossover. EVER.' . . .  
  
: arrow-card : Yep, everybody loves Hiei. Don't worry about the 'dear' thing. I don't mind.  
  
: kailyssia : Heck yeah, Hiei could take Logan down. (Sorry, Logan.) And I think that this chapter explained about the language question that you had.  
  
: JCKIDSMART : Here. A chapter.  
  
: SSJ Cisco : Well, there was kinda' a bit of action in this chapter. Hope you liked it.  
  
: Jax9 : It's a new chapter, isn't it? -_-;  
  
: Melissa : Hiei'll lie, of course. Hmm . . . The boys do tend to have to lie a lot, don't they? Their consciences must be shot to HFIL by now . . .  
  
: QG : *munches on a cyber cookie* Yummikins. Thanks. *takes pile of cyber cookie to stash away with her cookie cake from the last chapter* Great thing about cyber food is that you never gain any weight. And I need all the help I can get on that! -_-; Anywho, thanks for all the support! You're one of my favorite reviewers!  
  
: Saelbu : Yep, thanks, and here you go.  
  
: leahcar310 : Thanks. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.  
  
: ownerofattackcat : If you like moderately long chapters and you like Gundam Wing fics, you should really check out 'Lost in Shadow' by Gryphon Gal. She's a friend of mine (even lets me borrow one of her e-mail addresses for my reviews since I'm too lazy to make my own account! ^_^; ), and a really good author. Maybe if she gets more reviews, she'll get off her duff and FINISH THE STORY! *yells the last toward GG, who glares* Anyway, back to you. I am a really fortunate author. I DO have lots of faithful reviewers, and I LOVE them ALL! *huggles reviewers* You guys are awesome!  
  
: Chronicles Bailey : Love you too, hon! Thanks!  
  
: Gemini Star1 : Hey, I LIKE the name Ororo! I think it's neat! . . . *snickers* But you ARE right. It is a tongue-twister, and no mistake! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
  
: West Wind : Hope your throat doesn't get too sore from all that screaming. ^_^ And, anyway, yeah, I think I answered most of your questions in this chapter, and I'm UBER glad that you like it. Thanks for your support!  
  
: Ryoken : *revives with Super Special Magic Potion Thingy* Better? And anyway, *sniffs haughtily* it took him SEVEN chapters to get there, thank you very much!  
  
: Pewter : *snatches Kurama and Jin plushies, squealing in delight* YAY! I LOVE JIN! And I LOVE KURAMA! You are the greatest!  
  
: Evil Towel : You were right. She came back. And thankies for the review. I enjoyed reading about lemmings-please's little . . . incident. *snickers* Sounds like a friend of mine (well, actually, it sounds like ME, but since I talk to myself a lot, I consider myself a friend. Shhh. Don't tell!).  
  
: mooshoeblue : Thanks.  
  
: Snowfire : I try to make them so that everyone enjoys them. Otherwise, what's the point? *pouts* Don't hurt Mister Snuffles! You'll scar poor Kura- babe, and THEN where will all the fan girls of the world be? *smiles brightly* But thanks for the free massage! *snatches Kurama and disappears*  
  
: Kitsune Whiterose : I'm way ahead of you in the Pietro vs. Hiei department. *smirks* Writing that is gonna' be FUN. And you'll be seeing more of Kitty, too. Enjoy!  
  
: Yayo : *snatches away coffee, downs it all in one gulp* Yeesh! I needed that! I had to wake up at SIX A.M. on SATURDAY and SEVEN A.M on a SUNDAY! *scowls darkly* Evil school project and stupid JCL Latin Convention. *goes off to take a nap*  
  
: Tione : I DO feel special! ^_^ And I'm happy that you actually recommended my story to someone! Is it because I update so much, or *fishing for ego-boosters* because my writing is actually good? C'mon, tell me!  
  
: Lobo-Chan : *hands over a Touya plushie and an optional attachable ice- sword for his hand* Here. I made him myself!  
  
: HowLong : Thanks. -_-;  
  
: tina : As far as the shish kebab thing goes, I was inspired. And as far as longer chapters go, well . . . If and when I lose what little social life I've managed to gain during my years in high school, THEN I will write longer chapters. Until then, you'll just have to make do.  
  
: Tri : Yep, Hiei's here at last! Yayness!  
  
: Mistress of Dragons : *frowns sympathetically* Yeah, necks ARE stupid. Tell you what, as soon as Kurama gets through giving me the massage that Tione promised me, I'll hand him over to you for a nice backrub, ne? (Kurama: o.O; Again?!) As for your challenge: Go n-eiri an t-adh leat. It's Gaelic! I LOVE Ireland. Do you actually know Gaelic, or is it just a random phrase you know?  
  
: rdl : I'm glad that you like it so much! I'm glad that you like Logan's little snide remark about Kurama's hair. ^_^ I feel proud.  
  
: YYHgurl : Yeppie yep yep! I'm gonna' LOVE writing about all those things! They're gonna' be UBER fun! Especially with Yuusuke building his reputation! I have so many new good ideas because of your review! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! *huggles and hands over a Hiei plushie* Here. Let me know if you want to exchange it for a Kurama, Jin, or Yuusuke! 


	9. Subtlety? What's That?

I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS YESTERDAY, BUT FF.NET WOULDN'T LET ME ON.  
  
BIG TIP: If you know for a fact that I've posted a new chapter but the site continually tells you that it doesn't exist, make certain that you are at the URL of where the chapter SHOULD be and type ONE PERIOD at the end of the address and hit enter. It should take you to the page. This trick also works well on those 'site experiencing overload' pages, but sometimes it won't go through.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect.  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
YOUR AUTHORESS NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!  
  
I need to know Logan's nicknames for people (Example: Jean- Red, Kurt- Elf, Evan- Porcupine, Storm- 'Roro, etc.), and the way that the Institute students address the grownups. (Example, do they all call Xavier 'Professor' or 'Charles' or what?)  
  
Are there any particular titles that the X-men address the Brotherhood members by? Vice versa? Do they call each other by their mutant names or their human names?  
  
I only get to see one X-men Evo episode per week, so I'm kinda' low on research material!  
  
Thanks for reading this! ^_^;  
  
- : - : - Chapter Nine: Subtlety? What's That? - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke sighed heavily, reaching up to massage his temples even as he leaned back against the hallway wall.  
  
="THAT could have gone better."=  
  
Kurama watched the Toushin's actions with a bit of weariness showing in his eyes as well. ="Indeed."=  
  
Hiei stood to one side, his face expressionless, but he silently agreed with is two companions.  
  
- : - : - Flashback - : - : -  
  
Hiei eyed the conglomerate of humans that occupied the room along with himself, Yuusuke, and the fox.  
  
The bald ningen, Xavier, had his hands folded before him on top of a large, mahogany desk, his fingers interlaced, his eyes trailing leisurely over those people assembled in the room. Logan, Ororo, Scott, and Jean stood over to one side, placing themselves between and to one side of Xavier and the three demons.  
  
Hiei sneered to himself. He hated enclosed spaces, especially CROWDED, enclosed spaces . . . and that went double for those crowded and enclosed spaces where ningens were the ones doing the crowding.  
  
He felt like Kokuryuha-ing [1] someone. Badly.  
  
"Well," Xavier said at last. "I believe the question first and foremost within out minds would be, how did you manage to get here, Hiei?"  
  
Hiei scowled, garnet eyes flashing, but Yuusuke planted a not-so-subtle elbow in the smaller demon's side. Hiei growled warningly as he bared his fangs, glaring up at the taller boy, but he spoke.  
  
"I snuck on board and hid in the back while your people were distracted."  
  
"I didn't smell ya' anywhere around," retorted Logan.  
  
Hiei sneered over at the burly mutant. "And that's significant . . . why?"  
  
Before Logan could snap something back, Xavier stepped in. "Logan has excellent senses. Escaping his notice --especially in closed quarters-- is quite a feat indeed."  
  
"Hn."  
  
Yuusuke frowned at the fire-demon. ="Hiei!"=  
  
="Is it any of their business in the first place?"=  
  
="It is to them . . . now that we're on their territory, at least,"= said Kurama. ="You don't have to be overly polite, but try not to antagonize them."=  
  
Hiei snorted, but he looked toward Xavier. "The air was thick with the scents of oil and fuel, as well as the scents of Yuusuke and Shuichi. How could he pick up my scent amongst that?"  
  
Xavier sighed softly, looking toward Logan shortly as though to warn the other man against doing or saying anything rash. Hiei allowed himself another small smirk.  
  
"I really must ask you, Hiei," said Xavier slowly, "whether or not your parents know where you are."  
  
"I have no parents."  
  
Ororo stiffened. "You're an . . . orphan?"  
  
Hiei glared at the dark-skinned woman. "Generally, when one says that he has no parents, the term 'orphan' applies very well."  
  
Logan snarled. "Watch that mouth of yours, runt!"  
  
A low groan reached Hiei's ears. Out of the corner of his eye, Hiei saw Yuusuke cover his eyes with one hand, shaking his head, and even the fox had a pained expression on his face. The fire-demon gave vent to a silent sigh.  
  
"Yes," he said, keeping his voice carefully devoid of emotion. "I am an orphan. I wander. Sometimes I stay with Shuichi or at Genkai's shrine."  
  
"How do you make a living?" asked Scott, one eyebrow arching above his concealing sunglasses.  
  
Hiei eyed the tall, young man contemplatively. "Mercenary work."  
  
"WHAT?!" chorused Ororo, Jean, Scott, and Logan all at once.  
  
"No way!" That was Scott.  
  
"Impossible!" Jean cried.  
  
"You're too young!" added Ororo.  
  
"Can you even fight?" growled Logan.  
  
Hiei sneered. "I do not wear this blade for show," he said calmly, placing one hand lightly upon the hilt of his katana. He was glad that he had opted to leave his cloak in Kurama's room. The gesture was much more meaningful to these ningens since they could actually SEE him doing it.  
  
"Somehow, I SERIOUSLY doubt that," snapped Logan.  
  
Hiei turned the full force of his glare upon the other man, and Logan appeared to be taken aback by the fierce nature of the fire-demon's gaze.  
  
"I could always arrange for a demonstration, should you wish it," said Hiei coolly.  
  
"HIEI!" chorused Yuusuke and Kurama together.  
  
Yuusuke placed himself firmly in the fire-demon's main path of attack leading toward the clawed mutant, feeling a not-so-pleasant sense of déjà vu.  
  
~"Logan-san, you really might want to reconsider that,"~ said Kurama, falling into Japanese in the hopes of lessening whatever bruising that Logan's ego might take from the conversation. ~"Hiei is far more than merely accomplished in swordplay."~  
  
~"He doesn't need you pampering him, Fox,"~ said Hiei, still staring straight into Logan's eyes. ~"If he wants to play, then let him try."~  
  
Yuusuke growled deep in his chest. ="This translator thing really stinks, you know that? What're you three saying?"=  
  
Kurama sighed, and it was a show of exactly how frayed his temper was growing that he actually answered with sarcasm heavy in his words. ="Oh, the usual. Logan's pushing for a fight, Hiei's encouraging it, and the situation is deteriorating. How's your day going?"=  
  
Xavier was frowning sternly at Logan and Hiei. "Logan, I think that's quite enough."  
  
="I have to say the same for you, Hiei,"= murmured Kurama.  
  
="Hn."=  
  
Xavier turned his penetrating gaze on the trio of foreigners before him, looking strangely focused.  
  
Hiei's instincts blared warnings at him even as he felt the smallest of feather-light probes stretching toward the shield around the minds of himself, Yuusuke, and Kurama. His eyes narrowed.  
  
He tapped into the shields that he had carefully erected the day before, and he 'flexed' his aura just SO, causing the shields to pulse with renewed power . . . just as the probe brushed against the shield surface.  
  
Hiei was gratified to hear a pained breath hissing through the bald ningen's teeth, even as he closed his eyes against the youki backlash that had doubtless left his senses reeling.  
  
Hiei truly enjoyed that little trick.  
  
The concerned gazes of all the other ningen's rested upon their leader.  
  
"Professor?" asked Jean.  
  
"I'm . . . fine, Jean," the man managed at last. "Just a . . . headache."  
  
And one that would last quite a long while, if Hiei was any judge.  
  
Xavier turned eyes that were now slightly unfocussed upon the assembled Reikai Tantei.  
  
"For now," he said, "I see nothing wrong with . . . allowing you to remain. I do expect you to follow the rules and attend school . . . You may go . . . Kurt will find you when it's time for your first practice in the Danger Room . . . Please, leave."  
  
Kurama nodded in acknowledgement and did nothing so much as herd Yuusuke and Hiei out of the room, the concerned voices of the ningens fading behind them with each step they took away.  
  
- : - : - End Flashback - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke folded his arms over his chest, looking pensive. ="At least Xavier seems normal enough."=  
  
="Hn."= Hiei's lip curled. ="You of all people should know that appearances count for nothing on missions. That 'Xavier' ningen is dangerous."=  
  
Instantly, brown and emerald eyes were focused firmly upon him.  
  
="How so?"= asked Kurama.  
  
="He attempted to break into all of our minds. If not for my Jagan, none of us would now have anything hidden from them."=  
  
Yuusuke frowned. ="What does your Jagan have to do with anything?"=  
  
Hiei smirked, but didn't answer. Yuusuke glared.  
  
Sensing the growing irritation of the detective, Kurama sighed softly and explained. ="Having a Jagan implanted grants the subject powerful telepathic and telekinetic powers as well as a power-boost . . . You shielded out minds, Hiei?"=  
  
Hiei nodded once.  
  
Yuusuke grimaced slightly, growling in irritation. ="Humans with telepathy. Things are never simple, are they?"=  
  
Both the youko and the fire-demon could see Yuusuke's mind kicking into high-gear, thinking over what they had seen thus far and assessing other possible threats that he hadn't previously considered.  
  
="How long can we count on this shield of yours, Hiei?"= asked the Toushin, his voice serious and businesslike.  
  
="No human 'mutation' could possibly break my shields."=  
  
="But if you were injured?"= put in Kurama, his own mind mulling over their situation as the youko side of his thoughts came to the fore, bringing his keen wits into the equation. ="You can't maintain the focus needed if you're unconscious."=  
  
="True. In sleep I can maintain it subconsciously, but forcibly knocked out . . . no."=  
  
Yuusuke sneered. ="In essence, that means that SOMEHOW our bad luck will kick in, and Hiei'll trip in the shower or some shit like that, and THEN where will we be?"=  
  
Hiei snarled. ="I don't TRIP."=  
  
="Are we so certain that the humans could even tell the difference between our minds and those of other students?"= Kurama asked. ="Maybe they'll just think we have odder thought-patterns than most."=  
  
="No chance,"= snapped Hiei irritably. ="I saw a glimpse of Xavier's mind. Human auras are dull and composed of thoughts and emotions. To them, we are practically blinding."=  
  
="They see us as light?"= Kurama was intrigued, his youko curiosity aroused. ="Our reiki and youki is the cause, obviously, but is it truly that conspicuous?"=  
  
="Like supernovas at several thousand feet,"= growled Hiei. ="At midnight, during the new moon."=  
  
Yuusuke grimaced. ="Ouch."=  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR THE LAST CHAPTER (OVER THREE PAGES LONG!!! o.O;; ):  
  
: Evil Towel : Yep, you came back, all right! And Hiei's quite the little daredevil, ain't he? ^.^  
  
: Seiyo-san : You've already read the conclusion to the cliffy, so you don't want to hurt me now, do you? Anyway, thanks for the review. I'm glad you like the story.  
  
: TrueChildOfDarkness : I've got a bit of good news for you: *SPOILER WARNING: AVOID IF YOU WILL WISH TO DISEMBOWEL ME AFTER READING* Genkai comes back to life! I'm not sure how, I just know that she does 'cause I've seen a screenshot of her from the very last episode of the series, sitting in the shrine drinking tea with Puu. *SPOILER HAS PASSED: CONTINUE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS* I'm not certain whether the nicknames bit is cannon, but feel free to use it if you want. Just put a bit of advertising for me in the story, k? ^_^ I'd appreciate it!  
  
: Yayo : *winks* You'll just have to wait and see, no?  
  
: Siora : I'm SO happy that you like all of that! You picked out things that I was really hoping would go over well, and it looks like they did! YAYNESS!  
  
: Animegirl8 : o.O; Rath?! Oh, crap. KURAMA! *Kurama appears in youko form, beating back Rath with his Death Tree* Whew! *grabs Hiei and runs away, Kurama following*  
  
: cyn skysong : Yes, I know Latin. Salve, quid agis hodie? (SAHL-way kwid AH-gis HOH-dee-ay) Hello, how are you today? ^_^; And you'll just have to see who Shadow Tempest is when I get around to it!  
  
: Kailyssia : I'm glad you like everything, and Professor Xavier doesn't know what their powers are because he can't see into their minds to find out!  
  
: CJ-Chan : Yep! Little daredevil, ain't he?  
  
: Aya-Mikage2002 : Thank you, thank you, and *snatches Toushin Yuusuke plushie and huggles* THANK YOU!  
  
: Tione : *glomps* I LOVE YOU! YOU ARE THE MOST AWESOME, UBER REVIEWER EVER! *hands over Youko Kurama, Hiei, and Yuusuke plushies* Have some plushies!  
  
: Takahashi Shuurin : *grimaces* Yeah, I didn't like putting that 'so' in. It sounded VERY un-Yuusuke. *shrugs* Oh, well. Life goes on.  
  
a) Tempest means a very large, violent storm.  
  
b) I think that you have a wonderful brain! (You know THREE languages! Be proud! I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of kids at my school that know TWO languages, let alone THREE!)  
  
c) Lax means . . . er, 'relaxed' might be a good comparison, but 'lax' leans more toward 'shoddy' or 'lazy.' And, yes, 'tight security' is a common term in English.  
  
Thanks!  
  
: Chronicles Bailey : Have you ever seen anyone with powers like Kurt's, Kitty's or Scott's? That's all I meant; they're unique. . . and anyway, in response to your other review, if I DIDN'T write more, I'd be mobbed by tons of angry reviewers! *shudders and goes to hide*  
  
: DespairingAngel : Interesting.  
  
: Madame Arrow Foxfire : Salve, mea amica, quid agis hodie? Ego bene sum. Et tu? Gratias tibi for the review. And I didn't want to send Yukina since a) Hiei would have been PISSED at me for putting her in dangers and b) she can't really fight that well. She'd have been in too much danger.  
  
: Saelbu : Thankies!  
  
: ~*CLS*~ : Yep, Kurama is perfect. *joins CLS in singing, then pauses* Toushin Yuusuke is hottest, though. *continues singing*  
  
: Ryoken : Thankies!  
  
: Bloodfang : Thanks for all the support! I'm glad you like the story so much. *snatches cupcake* And thanks again! *munch-munch*  
  
: arrow-card : Yay! *bows*  
  
: Mistress of Dragons : Congrats on your test! *hands over a Jin the Windmaster plushie* Hope you like! And as far as Gaelic goes, I think that's awesome. Go to http : / / www . freelang . net / dictionary / irish _ gaelic . html (remove the spaces and you'll be fine!). It's a Gaelic- English dictionary! Scroll down the page and you'll see two icons that look like floppy disks. You'll need to download both the program and the dictionary. If you go to the main page, you should be able to find your way to a page where you can download a Japanese word list to add to your dictionary. Hope that helps! Slan!  
  
: Melissa : Thanks!  
  
: hahazinsanity : I doubt that they'll meet Pyro. I've never seen an episode with him, and I've got to see a character in action to know how to write their character. Sorry! Thanks for the review, though!  
  
: blue moon gurl : Thankies!  
  
: Leria006 : Thanks bunches! I'm glad that you like it so much, and the fact that you can understand the story without every having read X-men Evo is a REAL ego booster for me! Thanks again!  
  
: Tina : Thankies!  
  
: QG : Thanks! I feel special since you like the story so much. *snatches plushies* MINE!  
  
: Pewter : *snatches plushies* Thanks! And I'm glad that my story could brighten your day!  
  
: Lobo-Chan : Don't you LOVE sugar highs? They're great. And don't worry, Touya's all yours. He's awesome and everything, but Toushin Yuusuke is MINEMINEMINEMINEMINE!!!!  
  
: Jax : ^_^;  
  
: oOKeairaOo : Thanks. I hadn't thought of that. Hmm. Must integrate that into the story . . .  
  
: shakiya : THANKIES!  
  
: zippy_puppy3 : No, Shadow Tempest is all original. Sorry to disappoint.  
  
: Freak Moister : Thankies! I really appreciate it!  
  
: Gemini Star1 : I'm working on the Kurama situation, and yeah, Hiei is gonna' cause tons of hell-- er, excitement, heh-heh. ^_^;  
  
: Jaid Skywalker : Thankies bunches. Yep, I'm gonna' have fun writing all of that!  
  
: Everqueen : Thanks, I'm glad you like it!  
  
: Terris : Thanks, and you're welcome!  
  
: Snowfire : HEY! Don't endanger your eyesight just for a story! If you wait until your eyes are better, then you'll get to read lots of chapters at once, anyway! But I'm glad that Mr. Snuffles is okay. Kurama was really worried. *huggles Kurama* (Kurama: Did you just GOOSE me?! . . . Me: ^_^; ME? Nah, couldn't have been . . .)  
  
: Kazam : -_-; Wonderful imagery. I'm gonna' go hide under my bed now . . .  
  
: angelbird12241 : Thankies!  
  
: spellwing : That's right! *hands over cyber cookie* Enjoy!  
  
: Kittengrl39 : My story's a smash hit!? AWESOME. And it's a crossover, which generally isn't that popular! I'M HAPPY! *snatches cookies* Oh, and thanks for these!  
  
: Tri : Thankies!  
  
: Dark Dreaming : Thanks bunches. I'm glad that you like it!  
  
: ccs rox : Thanks!  
  
: West Wind : I think you mean a metaphor or simile. Analogies are stories where everything is symbolic of something else (I should know; we're studying them in Lit right now. -_-; Blech.) Thanks. Maybe I should start a support group: MXAA . . . Mission X Addicts Anonymous. ^_^; Anyway, I'm glad you like the story so much!  
  
: hanyougirl : Thanks.  
  
: BlackFireDragonK : Here's more!  
  
: hiei-luver45 : I'm glad you're liking it so much. I hope this chapter was up to my usual standards!  
  
: The real Eternal Sailor Earth : *hands over Hiei and Kurama plushies* Here, but I'll be expecting another review from you, ya' hear?  
  
: Killua-san : Thanks. I'm going to try my best to keep to my no-romance policy. Feel free to bop me upside the head if I stray, okay?  
  
: Yanslana : o.O; Uhmmm . . . apparently. *throws down smoke bomb and runs away while Yanslana is distracted*  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
NEXT TIME: DANGER ROOM INSANITY ENSUES! BWAHAHAHAHA! 


	10. A Demon's Definition of 'Fun'

THIS CHAPTER TOOK LONGER DUE TO THE LENGTHY ACTION SEQUENCES IN THE DANGER ROOM. ENJOY, OR ELSE.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect.  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
- : - : - Chapter Ten: A Demon's Definition of 'Fun' - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke glared blackly at the grinning, blue-furred boy. "There's NO WAY in heaven or hell that I'm wearing THAT."  
  
Kurt held up the black bodysuit --complete with a red and black 'X'es emblazoned on each shoulder and yellow gloves, belt, and boots-- and waved it slightly, his fangs glimmering in the cold white glow of the fluorescent lights overhead as he grinned. "Come ON. It's just a battle suit. It's a uniform . . . sort of."  
  
"I'd have more protection if I fought in the buff."  
  
Kurt wrinkled his nose, but then returned to pestering his newfound friend.  
  
"Yuusuke . . . !" Kurt drew Yuusuke's name out into a lengthy, plaintive whine. "It's not THAT bad. Besides, vonce the Professor's seen you in action, he'll be certain that you get your own suit. All the other X-men have their own unique suits."  
  
"NO." Yuusuke responded, scowling. "I won't wear it."  
  
"Everyvone vears them in the Danger Room."  
  
"I said 'NO.' "  
  
"Come ON, Yuusuke, you've got to vear it!"  
  
"Wearing something like THAT screams, 'I have a death wish; care to oblige?' I won't wear something that makes me any more of a target than I already am!"  
  
A sly look crossed the blue-furred mutant's face. "They von't let you in, if you don't vear it."  
  
Yuusuke scowled. He hated the idea of wearing something so . . . so . . . something like THAT. He was the last person to worry about whether or not his choice in clothing was 'fashionable,' but that suit looked like even the shoddiest of dressers would hesitate before wearing it, and comfort be damned.  
  
. . . On the other hand, who was he to turn down a good brawl when the opportunity presented itself?  
  
He growled but extended his hand toward the blue-furred elf-boy.  
  
"Hand it over, Blue."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Hiei scowled, picking at the skintight black material that had taken the place of his usual blue tank top and black pants, thinking privately that he was glad he'd decided to keep his sword belted around his waist. His right arm felt bulky from all the bandages beneath his sleeve where they covered his Kokuryuha tattoo.  
  
Across from him, leaning against one of the control panels that lined the 'control room,' Yuusuke scowled, still looking as though he'd like nothing so much as to Spirit gun whoever had first invented the ridiculous outfit.  
  
It was some consolation that everyone else in the room --Rogue, Jean, Scott, Kurt, Kitty, Logan, and Ororo-- except for the Xavier human were all in similar outfits. Hiei had snickered softly when he'd caught sight of the huge, yellow X emblazoned on Scott's chest: the man was practically BEGGING to be shot.  
  
The door of the control room slid aside and yet another black clad figure entered. Hiei could feel Kurama's energy signature even before he saw the fox and didn't bother to turn and look, so the fire-demon was treated to the amusing sight of Kitty, Jean and Rogue's eyes bugging slightly with disbelief.  
  
Hiei turned to level a smirk at Kurama. ="You've made several new conquests, Kitsune."=  
  
="Just what I needed,"= responded the redhead wryly.  
  
Hiei supposed that, had he been female, he would have been impressed as well. Kurama's usual clothing did a good job of hiding exactly how fit his body was. Now wearing the suit, the contour of each and every muscle was visible for all to see.  
  
Jean had already expressed her surprise that Hiei and Yuusuke were in such good shape. However, Kurama's physique was proving to be something of a surprise since most of the mutants had no doubt previously labeled him as a 'pretty boy.'  
  
Yuusuke snickered. ="Watch your back, Kurama. I think Visor-Boy is getting jealous."=  
  
Scott DID look somewhat irritated by Jean's obvious amazement. Logan appeared to have noticed the young man's ire and seemed to be amused by it.  
  
Kurama sighed. ="Again . . . just what I needed."=  
  
="Look on the bright side,"= said Yuusuke. ="At least you're not in your Youko form. You'd have to beat 'em off with your Death Tree."=  
  
Xavier smiled at the three demons. "Well, seeing as how you're officially students of the Institute now, we need to judge your powers and your levels of control. We use the Danger Room for testing. First, we'll test each of you individually, and then . . . I understand that you three trained together under the same master?"  
  
Kurama nodded. That WAS their cover story for their fighting skills, after all.  
  
"Good." Xavier looked pleased. "Then I suppose we'll give you a chance to fight as a group and see how well you do."  
  
He beckoned them over, toward a wall that appeared to be made up of windows overlooking a large, round room, the walls lined with panels of metal. It appeared to be simple enough.  
  
"That's the 'Danger Room'?" asked Yuusuke, clearly skeptical. "Looks boring."  
  
All of the mutants in the room cracked smiles, and Rogue and Logan laughed.  
  
Professor Xavier smiled at the three new students. "We'll see."  
  
- : - : - Test One: Hiei Jaganshi - : - : -  
  
Hiei felt a wave of cold air wash over him as the huge doors --emblazoned with the usual 'X'-- shut behind him.  
  
The room was big. Not as big as some of the chambers in Maze Castle, but big enough. All around, he could hear the buzzing of electricity and machinery, and he didn't doubt that there were innumerable sensors trained upon him from the second he had entered.  
  
So, he was supposed to have one 'mutant' power. Hmm, what to choose . . .  
  
A metallic whine from over to his right signaled the opening of one of the metal panels imbedded in the floor. A huge tentacle loomed up over him, swaying from side to side like a cobra eyeing its prey.  
  
. . . fire sounded fun.  
  
The tentacle snapped forward, no doubt programmed to entrap him within its coils, but Hiei merely narrowed his eyes.  
  
Scarlet fire so bright that it appeared to be white blossomed around the entire length of the tentacle, transforming it into a writhing pillar of flickering light, and the scent of ozone filled the air, along with the snapping and popping of severed electrical wires. Slowly, the fiery silhouette of the tentacle shrunk, becoming nothing more than a worthless puddle of melted machinery.  
  
Hiei strolled leisurely toward the center of the room, watching as more panels opened. No one could say that the humans weren't creative; he could see several mounted lasers, tentacles, saws of every shape and size, and one thing that looked like an electric tazer mounted on the end of one of the tentacles.  
  
It was a pity that he wouldn't be able to use his speed in this fight; he'd be bored before long.  
  
One of the saws came crashing down toward his head, and he leapt to one side with annoying slowness. It slammed into the section of floor where he had previously stood, buzzing and growling like some sort of attack dog kept from its prey.  
  
Hiei's sword slid from its sheath at his side and he twirled it thoughtfully as he stepped away from the tazer as it attempted to sneak up behind him.  
  
He couldn't use any of his Darkness Flame attacks obviously, since the humans would no doubt be suspicious should huge amounts of violet-black flames appear from nowhere. Therefore, he was limited to attacks using Mortal Flame.  
  
He leapt over one of the tentacles as it swiped at his legs, then he back flipped away from another one of the saws coming in for its own turn. Several laser bolts crackled past his face as he leaned out of their way.  
  
He caught a flash of red-brown out of the corner of one eye and turned to see a strange, four-legged robot advancing purposefully toward him, looking like a crab or spider with a strange, snakelike antenna upon its head.  
  
He hopped away from another tentacle and sliced neatly through its thick, silver bulk, severing it cleanly.  
  
Perhaps the robot would be more of a challenge.  
  
He shifted his grip on his sword, focusing on his energy.  
  
If he manipulated his youki just SO . . .  
  
White-orange, unbelievably hot flames crackled into existence around the polished metal of his sword blade, the tongues of fire swirling and writhing with each movement he made. The fire-demon allowed himself a smirk.  
  
Perfect.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke, along with Kurama and any of the mutants not occupied at a console, pressed close to the windows of the control room, watching Hiei's fight appreciatively. The Toushin had at first been slightly apprehensive when he'd seen the kinds of weapons that the humans had devised as their 'test' for Hiei, but after seeing the small demon's first few attacks, Yuusuke had settled in to enjoy the show.  
  
Generally, he never got the opportunity to truly watch Kurama or Hiei fight. Either he was too involved in his own little death match to worry about their battles or Hiei moved too fast for Yuusuke to see any of the fire-demon's techniques.  
  
With Hiei purposefully checking his speed to that of a human, Yuusuke was amazed at the other demon's skills. It was almost like watching a dance. Every movement was precise, executed with just the needed energy behind it and not one more iota. Every movement of Hiei's blade was accurate and deadly.  
  
The fire attacks used by the Jaganshi were fueled by just the necessary youki; there were no flickers or flares of power, indicating that Hiei held the flame attacks beneath iron control. Lesser fighters would allow their youki to flare with their excitement and battle-rage or dim if they were injured or tired.  
  
Hiei was a master fighter.  
  
Another slash of the fire-enveloped sword, and the last of the tentacles fell to the floor with a crash, joining its broken and melted brethren upon the metal tiles.  
  
Yuusuke estimated that Hiei had demolished four tentacles, three saws, two tazer-tentacles, two lasers, and the one odd, four-legged drone --it had been fun to watch Hiei sever each of the legs one-by-one before slicing the thing's body in two-- . . . all within the space of less than a minute.  
  
="He's been practicing,"= murmured Kurama.  
  
Yuusuke grinned. ="It's going to be fun to spar with him later."=  
  
Kurama laughed softly.  
  
"Amazing," murmured Xavier, causing both Yuusuke and Kurama to turn and face him. The bald man was speaking to Ororo and Logan, who were both staring at the readouts on the main console. "His skills are simply amazing. The amount of control he has . . . It boggles the mind."  
  
"Such power . . ." said Ororo. "He MELTED the tentacles, Professor! Not even Amara has achieved THAT."  
  
"Too bad we couldn't get any vital readouts from his suit," said Logan. "I'd kill to know how much energy that cost him. His heart's probably going a mile a minute."  
  
Yuusuke and Kurama exchanged a glance. It was a good thing that these mutants were so very ignorant of the Makai and the characteristics of demons.  
  
Hiei's suit was working perfectly.  
  
Demons didn't have heartbeats.  
  
- : - : - Test Two: Shuichi Minamino - : - : -  
  
The room had been cleared of most debris by several robots which had come out of the walls after Hiei's fight, so now the battleground was more or less in as good condition as it had been before Hiei's 'test.'  
  
Kurama ignored the sound of the doors closing behind him and walked purposefully toward the middle of the room. As expected, panels slid aside within seconds of his entrance, and the odd, human-devised weapons began to hone in on him. He suspected that they either possessed motion detectors or his suit was outfitted with some sort of beacon that told the machines where he was.  
  
He reached into his hair, his fingers brushing against several small lumps near the base of his neck. In order to hold his seeds in place, he placed them in his hair and grew them out to a point where they each had several small roots entangled in his hair, anchoring them firmly. In order to remove them, he manipulated them back into their seed states to free them, and then grew them to their adult forms while he pulled them loose.  
  
Despite the apparent ease of his movements, it required both close attention and impeccable timing to get it done correctly.  
  
After several millennia of practice, he had gotten it down to a veritable art form.  
  
The human's wanted a show of his powers? Well, no need to bore them with his Rose Whip again.  
  
Blades of grass formed into three deadly blades beneath his touch, each one grasped firmly between two knuckles.  
  
The tazer-tentacle arched over him, a blue, crackling line of electricity dancing between two extended prongs of metal mounted on the tentacle's tip.  
  
Kurama drew his arm back and flung the grass-blades forward with perfect aim, snapping his wrist at exactly the right moment to send the weapons arrowing into the small opening in the weapon's armor which was masked behind the electric current. Two of the blades disappeared inside, and the tentacle jerked spasmodically before collapsing in a heap, its inner wiring mangled.  
  
He reached into his hair again, feeling for another seed. It was a pity that he couldn't use his Death Tree . . . or any of his Makai plants, for that matter.  
  
Oh, well.  
  
He drew out another weapon, one that he rarely used but was very fond of. Kudzu.  
  
Within seconds of its first exposure to his youki, over six feet of vines were twining in the air around him. It was what this particular vine was famous for: its amazing rate of growth and the innumerable vines that it was capable of generating. The southern United States was virtually swamped with the stuff. [1]  
  
Four separate tentacles --three plain and one mounted with a saw-- were converging upon his position. He smiled.  
  
The four weapons converged directly above his head before arching down toward him, and he threw the knot of vines straight into the middle of them. He dove out of the way even as he flooded his youki into the plant.  
  
When he turned around, the entire lengths of all four tentacles were tangled helplessly in what seemed to be --and might have been-- miles of kudzu vines, turning the weapons into piles of twitching, shapeless greenery.  
  
One of the red-brown robots was making its way toward him, the tentacle upon its head swaying with each step, and Kurama pulled his signature rose out of his hair, transforming it in a shower of scarlet petals into his Rose Whip.  
  
A few well-placed whip attacks and several ingenious back flips and somersaults later, and all that remained in the room were several heaps of useless metal and healthy, abnormally large, emerald green plants.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
"Looks like the sensors in Pretty Boy's suit are working right," said Logan. "He's in better shape than we thought. A hundred and twenty beats per minute!"  
  
"That's impossible," said Ororo. "After THAT workout?"  
  
"It's what the suit says, 'Roro."  
  
Yuusuke and Hiei smirked in tandem. The day was turning out to be more interesting than they had first thought.  
  
"And he also possesses great levels of control," said Xavier. "He's even managed to recover all the plants that he used, see?"  
  
True. Yuusuke could see through the window that Kurama was efficiently gathering up every smidgen of greenery present in the Danger Room, shrinking them back to their seed states and storing them in his hair.  
  
Yuusuke laughed and headed toward the door, waving jauntily at the mutants. "See you in a few!"  
  
- : - : - Test Three: Yuusuke Urameshi - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke cracked his knuckles as he entered the room. The floor was once again clear of debris, and he was itching for the test to begin.  
  
No spirit powers. That would make the fight more of a challenge . . . and, in Yuusuke's opinion, more enjoyable. All of his battles lately had depended upon his latest techniques, the amounts of reiki and youki that he could generate, how much strength his Toushin form possessed.  
  
Every now and then, it was fun to get back to the basics of fighting. How hard he could punch, how fast he could move, how keen his senses were.  
  
Oh, yeah. This was going to be FUN.  
  
The first attack came from behind; he heard the air whistling as the tentacle flung itself down toward him. He somersaulted away, twisting his body as his did so, ensuring that he landed facing the offending tentacle. The soles of his boots gripped the slick metal floor firmly, and he flung himself forward, cocking his fist and charging it with his reiki, careful to keep the energy at a level that human's couldn't see.  
  
His fist slammed into the tentacle with a sound reminiscent of a thunderclap. The metal armor buckled and shattered from the impact, creating a hole through which Yuusuke could glimpse hundreds of wires. Before gravity took hold of him once more and pulled him to earth, he reached in and yanked out a sizeable handful, effectively disabling the one machine.  
  
As soon as he landed, one of the tazer-tentacles rocketed toward him, the electric current between its two metal prongs hissing and spitting ominously. A well-placed dropkick shattered one of the prongs, breaking the circuit and doing away with the tazer, leaving the Toushin free to reach into the gap in the tentacle's armor --the same gap which Kurama had exploited-- and disable the tentacle.  
  
More tentacles shattered beneath reiki-charged kicks and punches. Yuusuke laughed at the feeling of power that he drew from the fight, from knowing that he was dominant, a fighter in his prime.  
  
Toushin. War God. Demon Lord.  
  
His hair spiked slightly, and faint blue markings appeared on his arms and torso, hidden by his suit, and upon his face. His eyes narrowed and gained the slightest tint of red in their irises.  
  
He held himself back from a full transformation, but it felt wonderful to even slightly loosen the hold he kept upon his youki.  
  
Not even the four-legged robot with the red armor had stood a chance.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
"I can't decide what his power is, Charles," said Ororo. "He's fast and abnormally strong, but those could be attributed to hard training. His sensory ranges are off the charts . . ."  
  
"ESP?" asked Xavier curiously.  
  
"Not THAT advanced," said Ororo. "More like his abilities of sight and hearing are so sensitive that he's aware of virtually everything going on around him."  
  
"Interesting," murmured Xavier. "Perhaps we should see if this 'Genkai' will come teach at the Institute, if she gets such amazing results with mutant powers."  
  
Kurama and Hiei exchanged a look.  
  
="Can you imagine Genkai HERE?"= asked Kurama, amused.  
  
="I might find myself feeling sorry for the humans under her tutelage,"= said Hiei, his fangs bared in a wide smirk. ="They'd never survive."=  
  
"I couldn't get any readings on his life signs during the fight," said Logan, irritated. "Looks like his suit's on the fritz, too. Damn equipment failure."  
  
- : - : - Test Four: Jaganshi, Minamino, and Urameshi - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke waited for the last test to begin, his arms folded over his chest confidently. Kurama stood by his right shoulder and Hiei by his left.  
  
If single tests were a breeze, then a test against ALL THREE of the Tantei was going to be a yawn.  
  
="What do you two think?"= he asked. ="More tentacles, or will they up the ante?"=  
  
="All three of us together?"= said Kurama. ="Surely, they'll make it more difficult."=  
  
="Hopefully,"= muttered Hiei.  
  
There was a chorus of metallic groans as four separate panels in the walls slid aside, spitting forth around ten of the red-armored robots. Eight tentacles, all tipped with lasers, reared up from the floor, sighting in on the demonic trio, along with six tazer-tentacles and ten saw-tentacles.  
  
Yuusuke grinned happily. ="THAT's more like it!"=  
  
He sprung forward to meet the nearest of the robots, his fist smashing straight through the armor of its head. Kurama's Rose Whip was out and slicing through another of the robots, cutting it into six neat pieces. Hiei's sword was wreathed in flames and searing through the tentacles one- by-one.  
  
="Do you have any idea,"= called Kurama calmly over the ruckus of the battle, ="how much money we must be costing them, destroying this many robots?"=  
  
="They can handle it!"= replied Yuusuke, dodging beneath a swipe from another robot before darting in and ripping off two of its legs. ="Forget the machines . . . Imagine their grocery bills! Did you see how much these people eat?"=  
  
="Veritable pigs,"= agreed Hiei, slicing off the barrel of one of the lasers before calmly slicing the rest of the tentacle into slices of equal thickness. ="The blue-furred boy . . . Kurt . . . He eats more than the Baka."=  
  
="Kurt's pretty cool, though,"= said Yuusuke, pausing momentarily to pick out his next target. Kurama was engrossed in tangling another robot in the leafy embrace of his kudzu vines, but one of the tentacles was honing in on the redhead as its next target. Yuusuke immediately sprinted toward the kitsune. ="Oy, Kurama! Give me a leg up!"=  
  
Kurama looked startled but hunched his shoulders obligingly. Yuusuke placed one boot firmly between the other boy's shoulder blades, and Kurama heaved upwards precisely as Yuusuke leapt upward, giving the Toushin extra height on his jump, putting him at the exact right level to place a hard punch through the armor of the tentacle, disabling it.  
  
Deciding to save himself some effort, Yuusuke angled his descent so that his landing just happened to coincide with the position of one of the robots, resulting in a satisfying crunch of mutilated metal beneath his boots.  
  
Hiei did away with the last of the tentacles with a decidedly professional, bored air about him.  
  
Kurama's kudzu had curled around about six of the robots --it was hard to count victims beneath the thick layers of leaves-- and, as per the kitsune's will, crushed them beyond repair.  
  
Yuusuke finished the last robot with a powerful roundhouse kick, a broad grin upon his features.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
"It appears," Xavier commented dryly, "that our newest trio will make a habit of surprising us."  
  
Rogue stared through the window into the Danger Room, her mouth open in unabashed astonishment. "Tha . . . that's IMPOSSIBLE! They did all THAT?"  
  
Everyone else in the room was equally amazed.  
  
"They looked like they ENJOYED it," said Scott.  
  
"Like they were PLAYING," agreed Jean, staring at the three grinning boys who now conversed among themselves amidst the piles of shattered, sliced, and melted bits of what had once been advanced weaponry which would have given the US Marines pause.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke grinned, stretching, as he reentered the control room along with Hiei and Kurama. "Professor, how often did you say we practice in there?"  
  
Xavier eyed the boy carefully. "At least three times a week."  
  
"Sometimes more," said Ororo.  
  
Yuusuke grinned over at Kurama and Hiei. "Sounds like fun."  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
[1] I should know. I live in Georgia. There's no escaping the stuff!  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR THE LAST CHAPTER (If I missed anyone, blame the site for not posting your review where I could find it):  
  
: Dark Dreaming : Yep. That shield's days are numbered, all right. ^_^ I'm evil. Poor Hiei.  
  
: darkness flame youkai : Thankies! Hope you enjoyed chappie 10 when you finally found it!  
  
: Aya-Mikage2002 : Thanks for your help with the names, and do you know where I could buy a mental visioner?  
  
: ccs rox : I think that you know what the danger room is now. ^_^ Fun-fun!  
  
: Tione : Never let anyone take your plushies! *hugs her own mound of plushies and growls at her jealous friends* MINE! Stay back!  
  
: Everqueen : Thanks for clearing up the Das/Vas thing, but I was just having Kurt say 'Yah' as his way of pronouncing 'yeah.' *shrugs* Oh, well. *scowls* My German dictionary isn't worth the hard drive it's saved on. But I'm glad that you enjoy my story so far. We all have to start our days off right, no?  
  
: Jax : Okay.  
  
: Dragon Sythe : Thanks for your help.  
  
: Terris : Thanks. a) yes. b) It's the Japanese name for Yuusuke's group, the Spirit Detectives. c) I was leaving that for you to draw your own conclusion from.  
  
: QG : Thanks for your help with names. I hadn't even realized that I was writing 'ningen' until you mentioned it! ^_^; I've been reading too many YYH fanfics! I'll do my best to restrain myself, but you might catch a few more 'ningens' in the story! Sorry.  
  
: Rurouni Saiyan : Thankies, and here's a new chapter!  
  
: Katyfoxdemon2 : Thankies!  
  
: StaplersBreak : Interesting screen name! And I'm glad that you liked my fic so much. I hope I wrote the action sequences well.  
  
: lemmings_please : Thanks for your perpetual support of my fic, and if you see Evil Towel before I do, tell her hello from me!  
  
: YYHgurl : Thanks for your help with the names, and yeah, I'm making d@amn certain that I'm bringing the Youko in! He's too hot to be left out! *goes off to drool over the fox-demon in private*  
  
: Tri : Thanks for your help with the names; I really appreciate it. And yeah, Hiei is quite a bishie, ain't he?  
  
: Mistress of Dragons : I am SO using some of those nicknames! *snicker* Pretty Boy and Runt (or how about CHIBI!? *squeals* That would be TOO FUNNY!). Thankies!  
  
: lobo-chan : I'll be certain to check out your stories as soon as I get a chance. *eyes pile of growing AP Chemistry homework* . . . which translates as, 'I won't see you until around next Christmas, if my professor has anything to say about it.'  
  
: Animegirl8 : You can't EVEN begin to imagine!  
  
: oOKeairaOo : I'm glad that you think that Hiei's in character. I had a hard time writing him in, and some people think that he's a little too . . . impudent. -_-; Hey, I try.  
  
: Pewter : SESSHIE-SAMA! *grabs and huggles tightly* Now to get my hands on the real thing! Heh-heh. Sorry about your poor mouth! That really stinks. Oh, I hope you got my E-mail okay. I sent you some pictures of Toushin Yuusuke. (I also have quite a collection of Hiei and Kurama if you want anything else!)  
  
: Valkyrie Nienna Helyanwe : If I didn't spell your name right, then it's not really that surprising. Thanks for your review! (I find it extremely ironic that your screen name was longer than your review!)  
  
: tina : Thankies!  
  
: SilverKnight7 : Again, are you a fan of .hack//SIGN? Thanks for the review, though.  
  
: Seiyo-san : I'm glad that you see the good aspects of keeping me alive. ^_^ Thanks for your support!  
  
: hanyougirl : I think that I've already answered your question.  
  
: Saelbu : Thankies!  
  
: Gemini Star1 : Hope you liked this chapter. It took FOREVER to write! I suck at action scenes unless I take hours going over them. Phooey. I need sugar. Hint-hint, wink-wink!  
  
: wayfarer-redemption : Yes, there'll be more Rogue, but I've got other ideas for her and the demons.  
  
: FoxyFireDemon : Thanks for your help with the names, but, er . . . 'my site'? 'screenshot'? WHAT are you talking about? I wasn't aware that I even HAD a site! Tell me where it's at so I can visit!  
  
: arrow-card : NO, Hiei will NOT trip in the shower! Sheesh! He's HIEI, for kami's sake!  
  
: TrueChildOfDarkness : You'd better convert LOTS of people to this story! Here, to encourage you. *hands over Toushin Yuusuke, Youko Kurama, Jin, Touya, and Hiei plushies* Go! Convert! Convert!  
  
: hahazinsanity : Thanks for your help with the names, and for the two tigers! Heehee! Now I can feed them that pesky complaint from chapter one! *runs off to go get review from Risingangel12*  
  
: Thu6666 : Thanks, and so sorry for taking so long on this one!  
  
: Yanslana : *raises right hand* I solemnly swear to not follow in the footsteps of lesser authors and commit the sinful crime of the Original Villain Cliché. I will create an antagonist who has both character depth and good reasons for his thirst for power. I will not create another Voldemort-wannabe. So stated, so witnessed. *snickers* Hey, that was fun! And thanks for your awesome compliments. Sorry for the long wait for this chappie!  
  
: Siora : Thanks for your help with the names, and I'm glad you thought last chapter was funny! Yay!  
  
: Bloodfang : o.O; . . . er, thanks for the offer, but . . . heh-heh, you can keep the cookie . . . *runs away*  
  
: shakiya : I'm so happy that you like it! I like writing Prof. X as clueless! It's fun!  
  
: BishounenChaser : I LOVE YOUR NICKNAME! And I'm trying to find a way to get Jin into this without it being totally out of left-field!  
  
: Angelbird12241 : It's HARD to type your name! Sheesh! Hope you enjoyed the Danger Room Fiasco.  
  
: Evil Towel : I feel kinda' sorry for the teacher who has to teach the Brainless Ignorants of which you spoke. Sounds like some guys I know. They're in most of my classes --and I take mostly advanced courses-- and they're such MORONS. *sarcastically* I can't WAIT until I start dating. They're what my school offers as the crème de la crème. *grimaces* Fun.  
  
: Melissa45 : Thanks.  
  
: Marissa : Check the A/N at the bottom of the page, hon.  
  
: takahashi shuurin: I NEVER get tired of you. You're fun to talk . . . er, type to! And yes, Youko Kurama and Toushin Yuusuke are going to be SO MUCH FUN! *cackles evilly* Yep, the X-men are in for lots of headaches with those three around. I hope that this chapter made your day again! And I think that you're VERY smart, and your English --from what I've seen-- is perfect! Ooooh! Take Latin! Latin is awesome, and then you and I can have conversations! Latina maximus est! (Latin is the best!)  
  
: Jena : Thankies!  
  
: carla : Thankies BUNCHES!  
  
: ~*CLS*~ : I just write REALLY, REALLY fast! My finger's are getting stronger by the day from all the stupid typing. Glad you like it though, and good luck on avoiding your teacher's wrath.  
  
: E-san : Thanks for correcting my German. The dictionary I have must have mixed up the definitions. *glares* Stupid computer dictionary. Got more bugs in it than a roach-motel.  
  
: demon eyes kyo : I'm glad that you like the story so much, but, geeze, have you got it in for Logan or what? You want him to go up against Youko Kurama, Hiei, and Yuusuke? He'd get creamed by ANY of them!  
  
: KUKU : Thankies.  
  
: GreenEyes7 : I'm glad you like it, but what did you mean about Kurama and Ororo in chapter five? I didn't understand what you meant. And don't be intimidated by my review responses. Most people think that they're fun! Have a cyber plushie! *hands over a Youko Kurama plushie*  
  
: Wind Wanderer : I like your screen name. It reminds me of Kaze no Tane no Nausicaa ("Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" or "Warriors of the Wind" (the butchered version of K.n.T.n.N. *scowls*) in English). Awesome movie. Anywho, thanks for the review and for the info on names. It was really helpful!  
  
: Lcampbell947 : Thanks!  
  
: Elyndewen Startree : Geeze, your name's hard to type! But thanks for the review! I'm gonna' try to put Wanda in, but you have to admit that she's a difficult character to write. I'll try, though, and thanks for the help with names!  
  
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A/N: Some people have been requesting longer chapters. *glares* I'm gonna' say this one more time. I HAVE A LIFE. I am taking Advanced courses in high school. I have LATIN IV! I have ADVANCED AMERICAN LITERATURE. I have AP CHEMISTRY. Do you know what AP stands for? It stands for ADVANCED PLACEMENT. That means that I am taking a COLLEGE LEVEL CHEMISTRY COURSE in my JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL. You do the math and figure out what my homework level is like! I am doing my level best to get out a chapter every two days, if not EVERY day! There is a reason that I write short chapters! SO GET OFF MY BACK.  
  
*sighs* To everyone else, thanks for your support and understanding. I'll shut up now. 


	11. Youko Moon

BIG TIP: If you know for a fact that I've posted a new chapter but the site continually tells you that it doesn't exist, make certain that you are at the URL of where the chapter SHOULD be and type ONE PERIOD at the end of the address and hit enter. It should take you to the page. This trick also works well on those 'site experiencing overload' pages, but sometimes it won't go through.  
  
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Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect.  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
- : - : - Chapter Eleven: Youko Moon - : - : -  
  
The three demons had taken to gathering in Yuusuke's room in the late evening, after curfew --they were forced to keep the lights off in order to prevent any of the professors discovering that 'bed-time' didn't exist for the three newcomers. The night after their 'tests' in the Danger Room, Yuusuke had filled Kurama and Hiei in on the specifics of the mission, and since then, all three of them had been alert for any mention made by the X- men about Kurorashi.  
  
They hadn't had much luck.  
  
The most they had uncovered had been a short conversation that Kurama had overhead between Jean and Scott during breakfast one day, and even then there wasn't much information to be gleaned from the short exchange aside from the fact that the X-men did indeed know about Kurorashi . . . or, as the mutants called him, 'Black Tempest.'  
  
- : - : - Four Days Later: Sunday Night - : - : -  
  
Hiei had long since retired to Kurama's room to sleep when he found the conversation between the fox and the Toushin to be growing dull. Yuusuke had no doubts that the little fire demon was now firmly ensconced in Kurama's windowsill, his sword lying within arms' reach --if not across his lap-- even as he slept.  
  
Within a few minutes of the koorime's exit, conversation between Yuusuke and Kurama had died out completely, and yet the kitsune remained.  
  
Yuusuke was sprawled across the top of his perpetually unmade bed, one arm tucked beneath his chin to keep his head propped upright. Whenever any slight beam of light fell across his face, his pupils glittered greenly, like the eyes of a cat when caught in the glare of a car's headlights.  
  
Kurama had secured the window seat as his own, and now sat there with silver moon- and starlight highlighting his hair, making him resemble nothing so much as his youko self. One hand was cupped slightly before him, small tendrils of green-white twining around his fingers as a slender stalk, topped with a blossom bearing petals of sapphire-blue and garnet-red --which glittered from trace amounts of his youki--, swayed gently in the air above his palm.  
  
Yuusuke sighed, sounding extremely bored. "Kurama, what kinda' plant is that, anyway?"  
  
A small smile flitted across the redhead's face. "Just an average Makai wildflower. It's called Mi'snarii. 'Changing Ways.' "  
  
"No plant from the Makai is ever 'average,' " replied Yuusuke wryly, recalling several run-ins he had had with Kurama's more 'mundane' plant specimens. "What's so special about this one?"  
  
The youko raised his free hand to caress the delicate petals of the blossom. "It is much like those 'mood-rings' that Kuwabara was so enamored with a short while ago. The petals of the Mi'snarii change color according to the emotions and auras of the beings around it. It is truly useful in healing; the petals will turn black if one near it is poisoned or injured gravely."  
  
Yuusuke eyed the flower appraisingly. "So what does blue mean?"  
  
Kurama laughed softly. "Any number of things."  
  
"Like?" prompted Yuusuke.  
  
" . . . peace," Kurama replied at last. " . . . calmness . . . melancholy . . . sadness."  
  
"And red?"  
  
"Impatience or anger . . . sometimes restlessness." There was a strange, distant note in his voice that didn't belong. "For tonight, definitely restlessness."  
  
Yuusuke frowned. Kurama had been acting listless all day long. He had spoken even less than usual . . . he hadn't smiled as much . . .  
  
"Hey, Kurama, you feeling all right?"  
  
The kitsune chuckled, shifting to face Yuusuke fully, giving the Toushin an unrestricted view of glittering, golden eyes and a red mane streaked liberally with silver and gray. Where his ears usually grew, there now were two, malformed triangles of gray fur.  
  
"Oh, man." Yuusuke eyed the half-transformed Youko with realization dawning.  
  
Right. Moonlight . . . It was the first sickle moon of the month . . . and sickle and full moons meant that the youko side of Kurama's personality was given free rein to come out and play.  
  
"I'm lucky," said Kurama, his voice possessing an odd, double-timbre quality, as though both the Youko and Shuichi were speaking at the same time. ". . . sickle moons merely increase the power of my youki. Only on full moons must I fully transform."  
  
"At least I know why you were so out of it today," said Yuusuke. "Even Hiei was giving you odd looks, and that's saying something."  
  
"I have been attempting to hold it back," murmured Kurama. "If I let go, I won't be able to resist going outside. I'm not certain that it's safe to go traipsing around the grounds as the Youko."  
  
"Why not go?" Yuusuke shrugged. "Go out as Youko Kurama . . . or as your fox-form. Even if you don't avoid all the cameras and shit, HIEI looks more like your human form than the Youko does."  
  
That comment earned him a chuckle from the kitsune. "Hmm . . . A good point."  
  
There was a flare of golden youki within the room, and soon Shuichi Minamino had disappeared, only to be replaced the lithe, white-clad form of Youko Kurama.  
  
Yuusuke was glad for Hiei's shields. Without them, the entire place would have felt THAT little trick.  
  
The Mi'snarii flower shriveled and regressed back to its seed form even as the slender, clawed hand of the Youko stored it within his silver mane.  
  
The clever fingers of the fox-thief undid the latch of the window within scant seconds, and as the panes of glass were opened wide, a cool breeze whirled into the room, teasing the Youko's pristine, white tunic and pants into a flurry of rippling cloth and causing his hair and the fur on his tail to shimmer.  
  
"I'll leave the window unlocked for you," said Yuusuke calmly. "No need for you to bowl Hiei over coming in through your window. He'll be cranky enough tomorrow without us helping him along."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
As soon as his feet left the dubious support of the windowsill, the Youko's youki was flaring again. His muscles and bones shifted beneath his skin even as fur sprouted upon every inch of his body. His form rippled like moonlight reflected upon the waves of a windswept pond.  
  
Within less than a human heartbeat, a slender, silver-furred fox landed lightly upon the grass outside of the mansion, five tails swaying gracefully behind him.  
  
The air was cool and fresh, with so many scents borne upon it that it was nearly intoxicating to his newly-enhanced senses. Golden eyes slid closed as he raised his muzzle, inhaling deeply.  
  
The scents of grass and dew were all around, as well as the faint scent of flowers and the earthy scent of brick --from the mansion, obviously. The acrid smell of chlorine from the Institute pool scraped against his nose with a sensation very near to pain.  
  
He sneezed, clearing his nostrils of the unwanted scent.  
  
Humans and their chemicals . . . Pheh.  
  
He sniffed again, more cautiously, searching for any sign of danger.  
  
Birds . . . rodents . . . a snake, but nothing that could harm HIM . . . and . . . a dog?  
  
He inhaled deeply, focusing on the musky scent of the canine, correcting his judgment. Not a dog, but a wolf, a female, and one with an oddly human smell.  
  
Perhaps another mutant peculiarity?  
  
Well, the scent wasn't fresh, in any case. The dog/wolf/human hadn't crossed this area anytime within the past eight hours. It was doubtful that it could be considered a threat.  
  
He moved away from the wall, feeling the energy of all the surrounding plants reaching out to brush against him, welcoming him to their world. Beneath his paws, grass suddenly grew greener, healthier, and clover burst into bloom without warning at his passing.  
  
He had smelled flowers earlier . . . where . . . ?  
  
Ah!  
  
He turned and loped toward the back of the huge house, smelling the sweet scent of blooming plants. The Youko truly enjoyed the company of plants, and flowers were pleasant company indeed.  
  
Even with the odd chemicals that he could smell all around, the garden was in good condition. The flowers grew tall and healthy. The leaves were whole, with no sign of insect damage. The Youko felt a spurt of approval.  
  
He stretched out to brush his muzzle against the blossom of a semi-wilted, creamy white rose, and the plant straightened and bloomed beautifully in response to the touch. Even as he watched, small green buds along the vines quivered and swell in amazing arrays of moon-white petals.  
  
His five tails twitched in satisfaction. That was better.  
  
- : - : - Monday Morning - : - : -  
  
Professor Charles Xavier looked out the window of his office, gazing down upon Scott's convertible as it idled in front of the Institute steps, waiting for the new students to join Scott, Jean, Rogue, Kitty and Kurt for the drive to school . . . It would be quite a squeeze.  
  
However, the psychic's mind was occupied with other things this morning aside from the first day of school for the three new students.  
  
Kitty had come to see him earlier that morning, and the conversation still echoed through his head eerily.  
  
- : - : - Flashback - : - : -  
  
"Professor, I'm telling the truth! I saw this, like, huge dog-thing going across the grounds last night! It made Rahne look like a puppy!"  
  
"Loose dogs are nothing new, Kitty."  
  
"Professor, it was white. All over, just plain white, and I'm pretty sure it had, like, gold eyes!"  
  
"Kitty, are you certain that you aren't overreacting?"  
  
"I swear, Professor, this isn't some prank! I'm not Kurt!"  
  
"I'm well aware of THAT."  
  
"PROFESSOR . . . !"  
  
" . . . What do you suggest that I do?"  
  
"You've got hundreds of cameras around this place! Find out what that . . . that THING was!"  
  
"If it will make you feel better, I'll have Hank review several recordings from last night. It was probably just a stray dog."  
  
"Since when can a stray dog sneak inside HERE? And since when do dogs have, like, FIVE TAILS?"  
  
- : - : - End Flashback - : - : -  
  
Xavier sighed, rubbing at his temple. Kitty was not a girl prone to imagining things. Certainly, she was talkative and a bit flighty, but she was generally a reliable source of information. Had it not been so near time for her to leave for school, Xavier would have viewed her memory of the incident for himself . . .  
  
He'd have to do it when she returned.  
  
But for now . . .  
  
~:Hank?:~  
  
The reply was immediate. ~:Charles?:~  
  
~:Meet me in the surveillance room. Kitty reported something . . . odd.:~  
  
~:I'm on my way.:~  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
A/N: Really UBER short, I know, but I started late. I thought that you'd appreciate a short chapter more than a delayed chapter. NEXT TIME IS SCHOOL!!!  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR THE LAST CHAPTER (From now on, only people who asked important questions or made good points will actually be REPLIED to; others just get thanks at the bottom of the page . . . sorry, folks, but my fingers HURT!):  
  
: CJ-Chan : ^_^; Yep.  
  
: Snowfire : Trust me, I know what it's like to have crappy eyesight. Without my glasses, I literally have to hold a book four inches from my nose to read. It ain't pleasant. Don't mess up your eyes any more than you have to, k?  
  
: Elyndewen Startree : I'm glad that you like it so much . . . How about if I just wrote 'Elly Startree' instead? ^_~  
  
: Animegirl8 : Yeppie-yep-yep! Lots of money's going straight down the drain with the Terrible Trio hanging around! And I think that the Mission part is slightly back on track now!  
  
: Dark Dreaming : *shapeless pile of Kurama, Hiei, and Yuusuke plushies squirms, a hand pops into the air waves* *muffled* Thanks!  
  
: lemmings-please : Thanks for being so understanding about the chapters, and about the only times that I won't update within five or six days will be this upcoming Thanksgiving. *scowls* My parents suddenly got the notion that we're not getting enough quality time with our relatives. . That means that for the first two days of vacation, I'll be down in Hell, Mississippi, with my demented grandparents from my father's side. Then, on Thanksgiving, we'll have one day at home. THEN, for the rest of vacation, we'll be staying in Hell, Georgia, with all my demented cousins and aunts and uncles and nieces on my mother's side. . . Stupid familial relations . . . *deep breath* Okay, I'll shut up now.  
  
: O Demented One : o.O; . . . Stoned, high, or drunk, much? Oh, well, love ya', hon. Thanks for the review. I needed that.  
  
: QG : I have the inexplicable feeling that I just got a 'goodness and love' talk from Quatre off of GW. ^_^ They really DO work! Go, Quatre . . . er, QG! Thankies! I feel all warm and fuzzy now!  
  
: Bloodfang : Yep. Homework is the devil. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
  
: Melissa : ^_^ You're welcome!  
  
: Killua-san : Yes, I'm using dub names . . . except for the double-u in Yuusuke, but that's more for tonal emphasis than anything else.  
  
: Aya-Mikage2002 : Hope you liked this chapter, and I'm gonna' get a mental envisioner for Christmas! Yay!  
  
: DespairingAngel : Kurama is NOT 'cute.' Kurama is HOT, thank you SO much!  
  
: takahashi shuurin : *hands over a Youko Kurama plushie* I've got hundreds of them to spare. *hands over Hiei, Yuusuke, Jin, Touya, and Adult Koenma -- who is actually VERY cute without the pacifier* Enjoy! And . . . could you do me a favor? You know Japanese, so could you translate a sentence from English to Japanese for me? It's for the story. I need: 'I love you. You'll always be my son.' SHHH! I know that it's probably obvious what I want it for, but still . . . you're the only person I know who could help me out! Pretty please? *puppy-dog eyes*  
  
: hanyougirl : I'm sorry about snapping . . . erm, flaming . . . whatever. *sighs* You just caught me on a REALLY bad day, is all. I did awful on a Chem. test and some people were real butts about it. I'll get over it. Have a plushie. *hands over Hiei plushie, with detachable headband and katana*  
  
: Madame Arrow Foxfire : Yukina will NOT be appearing in this story, sorry. I agree with you on the healing and defense part though. And thanks for your support about my chapters!  
  
: Saisaishi : Is your name based off of G-Gundam's Saisaishi? I think he's about the best character on there. Thanks for the review!  
  
: Terris : I'm glad that you think all the characters are IC. It's a challenge to keep them that way, let me tell you! And thanks for the info about Kurt and Rogue!  
  
: Everqueen : Yeah, I was aiming for that unconcerned, 'gee-isn't-this- boring' tone with that last fight. I'm glad I got it across!  
  
: Odd-I-See : Hey, are you in Latin Club . . . er, GJCL? Georgia Junior Classical League? I don't have Dr. 'G', I have Mrs. C! Let me know if you're in GJCL; that would be SO uber! If you are in it, are you going to convention this year at Rock Eagle? That would so rock!  
  
: Tione : I'm glad you liked it! Don't EVER let a dog near your plushies . . . I did once . . . *sniffle* Poor Touya . . . *runs off crying*  
  
: Rurouni Saiyan : Kudzu might be 'the plant that ate the South,' but I love looking at Kudzu Castles . . . You know the places where kudzu has completely covered trees and bushes, and it looks like huge forts? I think that they're so awesome. . . . Mississippi? Where in Mississippi? I'm originally from Columbus, MS.  
  
: Dragon Sythe : I didn't have Hiei choose speed so that there would be something for others to get suspicious about . . . You'll see what I mean. Thanks for the support about my chapter length rant.  
  
: YYHgurl : You weren't rude at all! . . . And seriously, demons DON'T have heartbeats; they have cores. It's true. There's even a quote of Yuusuke's after he becomes Toushin. He mentions that he felt his heart stop when he died (the second time around. -_-; ) and then he says that he STILL can't feel it beating. Kurama tells him about demon cores then. It's really uber. In this story, Kurama has a heartbeat since he's only technically a demon when he's the Youko.  
  
: angelbird12241 : I think that this chapter answered most of your questions.  
  
: Mistress of Dragons : Gravitation sounds cool. Especially if it has cute guys in it! Whoohoo! Go to http : / / www . maniacnun . com / bishounen . htm (remove the spaces) . . . It's called 'Bishounen Theater,' and it's an awesome site! It has video clips from all the animes with bishies in 'em! . . . I HATE it when people flame you, and they don't even bother to proofread! It's so moronic; you'd think that if they were trying to make you feel all crappy for writing a 'bad story' that they'd at least TRY and come across as semi-intelligent! Sheesh! Something that seriously pissed me off was a 'review' for the first chapter of this fic: some person flamed the FIRST PAGE that I posted! Not even the first chapter of the story, but the page that listed people's names and powers; how moronic is that? If they haven't read it, how can they possibly pass judgment? Her complaint wasn't even justified. She said, and I quote: "why the heck did u make yyh team up with x-men evolutin?! x-evolution is the worst show i have ever seen in my life! can u at least team them up with the mutants from the original x-men show?!" If you complain about a story, shouldn't you at least complain about characterization or spelling or grammar? . . . Okay, okay, I've ranted enough. Sorry. Thanks for your review!  
  
: Siora : I'll repeat what I told YYHgurl about the heartbeats: Seriously, demons DON'T have heartbeats; they have cores. It's true. There's even a quote of Yuusuke's after he becomes Toushin. He mentions that he felt his heart stop when he died (the second time around. -_-; ) and then he says that he STILL can't feel it beating. Kurama tells him about demon cores then. It's really uber. In this story, Kurama has a heartbeat since he's only technically a demon when he's the Youko.  
  
: Marissa : You didn't offend me . . . I just got caught on a really bad day. Hey, no harm done. And good luck on that report. Here, have a Jin plushie to hug while you're working on it. *hands over plushie* And if you squeeze him, he talks in an Irish accent! Enjoy!  
  
: zippy_puppy3 : I love the animation on .hack//SIGN. Tsukasa's really uber. Anywho, no, I don't have this story written out. I write a chapter every day or so.  
  
: Jaid Skywalker : o.O; . . . There's such a thing as a chapter that's too LONG!? Please tell me that you're joking. That person HAD to be VERY unappreciative! Sheesh!  
  
: RSMB : Botan will make an appearance, but she won't be a main character. Sorry.  
  
: Gemini Star1 : Good luck with your classes and swim-meets. And I love the key chain. *hooks onto her own binder* Sugoi!  
  
: Ryoken : You ARE lucky! Maybe my teachers are just really sadistic or something . . .  
  
: Kitsune Whiterose : Those are some good ideas. I'll have to get cracking.  
  
: Kittengrl39 : I've already gotten their mutant names worked out. I'm trying to find a Logan nickname for Yuusuke. I have a few ideas, but nothing definite so far. I'm glad you like the story so much, and here's a plushie just for you! *hands over a Youko Kurama plushie* Enjoy!  
  
Thanks go out to the following readers:  
  
BlackFireDragonK  
  
Zyte  
  
BabbleQueen  
  
Prismatic  
  
lcampbell947  
  
Saelbu  
  
Hikaru Muyo  
  
FoxyFireDemon  
  
arrow-card  
  
moonsword  
  
Crissy dowie  
  
starsong  
  
Hedi Dracona  
  
cyn skysong  
  
Jena  
  
PheonixFirecat  
  
Kschur32  
  
Casey  
  
carla  
  
Yayo  
  
Karamas_Girl123  
  
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A/N: Any spelling errors in the review response can be blamed on the fact that I wrote most of them around eleven o'clock at night. -_-; I'm going to bed now. *yawns* Later, folks. 


	12. School: Take One

BIG TIP: If you know for a fact that I've posted a new chapter but the site continually tells you that it doesn't exist, make certain that you are at the URL of where the chapter SHOULD be and type ONE PERIOD at the end of the address and hit enter. It should take you to the page. This trick also works well on those 'site experiencing overload' pages, but sometimes it won't go through.  
  
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Sorry that this chapter is late. I went out of town over the weekend to visit Mississippi early. I tried to get this out beforehand, but the trip was kind of a surprise. (As in-- MOM: Hi, honey, how was school today? By the way, hope your bags are packed. We're leaving in fifteen minutes. ME: o.O; WHAAAT!!!!????)  
  
If there are any spelling errors in this chapter, blame them on the Benedril that I'm taking for the stinking cold that I caught in MS. God, I hate colds . . .  
  
Sewiousry, I'b been walgig around de houze soundig lige dis ALL DAY LOG. Id sugz.  
  
(Seriously, I've been walking around the house sounding like this ALL DAY LONG. It sucks.)  
  
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Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect.  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech.  
  
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A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
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Grade levels go something like this:  
  
Scott: senior  
  
Jean: junior  
  
Lance: junior  
  
Fred: junior  
  
Rogue: sophomore  
  
Kurt: sophomore  
  
Kitty: freshman  
  
Evan: freshman  
  
Todd: freshman  
  
(Wanda doesn't technically go to school.)  
  
Kurama: junior  
  
Yuusuke: junior  
  
Hiei: junior  
  
- : - : - Chapter Twelve: School: Take One - : - : -  
  
="NO, Hiei."=  
  
="Who ever said that I was asking permission, MY LORD?"=  
  
="You CAN'T bring your KATANA to SCHOOL."=  
  
="Hn."=  
  
Standing in the middle of Kurama's room, Hiei had both his hands wrapped around the lower half of his sword, glaring death at Yuusuke, who similarly had both HIS hands wrapped around the pommel and upper part of the scabbard of the sword.  
  
="Hiei, there's no way . . ."=  
  
="Let GO, detective."=  
  
="NO."=  
  
Garnet eyes flashed dangerously even as ivory fangs glimmered in a snarl. ="LET. GO."=  
  
A new voice broke in. ="I'll tell you what---"= A green vine lashed out and wrapped itself firmly around the middle of the scabbard, jerking the weapon easily from the two demons' hands. ="Why don't BOTH of you let go?"=  
  
Yuusuke and Hiei both turned to see Kurama lounging idly in the doorway between their two rooms, Hiei's sword gripped loosely in one hand and his Rose Whip dangling from his other. The firm look in his eyes clearly said that the sword in question was NOT leaving the premises without blood first being shed.  
  
="You,"= said the kitsune pointedly, ="are going to make us late."=  
  
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Yuusuke's hand was firmly wrapped around the handle on the car door, a grim look on his face as Scott took another right-angle curve at speeds nearing forty-five miles per hour. Kurama, looking equally somber, trapped in the middle of the backseat between Yuusuke and Rogue, had his fingers imbedded up to the first knuckle in the upholstery; Yuusuke wouldn't have been at all surprised if they got out of the car and found that Kurama had sprouted his claws during the drive as a safety precaution.  
  
Hiei endured the ride with a scowl plastered firmly upon his face, stationary throughout the entire trip despite the fact that he refused to hold on to anything, even in light of Scott's . . . unique . . . driving style.  
  
Humorously enough, the three demons were the calmest passengers to be seen. Jean --in the passenger's seat up front-- had her belt wrapped tightly around her waist whilst one of her hands held her hair away from her face and the other gripped at the handle on her door. Rogue, seated between Hiei and Kurama, was paler than usual, and that was no small feat to accomplish. She was following Kurama's example of gripping the upholstery; if the kitsune didn't cause holes in the fabric, Rogue sure as hell would.  
  
At that moment, everyone except Scott was heartily wishing that they had followed Kitty's example and taken Kurt up on his offer of a courtesy *BAMPH* to school.  
  
Arrival at Bayville High School was heralded by a chorus of relieved sighs, which was a pleasant change from the irregular cries of 'SCOTT!' and 'LOOK OUT!' and 'OH, GAWD! IF AH SURVIVE THIS, AH'M GONNA' /KILL/ YOU, SUMMERS!'  
  
As soon as the car stopped in front of the school --Scott was attempting to play the perfect gentleman for Jean and so had decided to drop his passengers off at the door and park the car by himself--, Jean and Rogue each took several minutes to recover their breath. Yuusuke ignored the astonished looks of the two girls as he and Kurama, not even slightly out of breath, climbed calmly out of the car --Hiei merely vaulted out, disdaining to use such a mundane method of exit as a DOOR.  
  
Jean and Rogue followed shortly after, still looking slightly shaky, and Scott waved jauntily at the auburn-haired young woman before driving away.  
  
="Visor Boy's trying to win back his girl, I see,"= said Yuusuke, smiling. ="Sure you don't want to give him a run for his money, Kurama?"=  
  
="I have enough things to worry about, thank you,= responded the redhead dryly.  
  
Any further conversation was put on hold when Rogue turned to level an incredulous look at the trio.  
  
"What ARE you?" she asked. "Ah've never seen anyone get through one of Shades' car rides without even staggerin' a bit! You supermen, or somethin'?"  
  
="Or something,"= muttered Hiei.  
  
"That was nothing." Yuusuke grinned at the pale girl. "I've got a friend that drives WAY worse than THAT."  
  
Kurama laughed softly. =" . . . Botan's oar-rides DO tend to leave you somewhat disoriented,"= he murmured.  
  
"Ah doubt that ANYONE could be worse than Shades," said Rogue.  
  
"Come on," Jean interrupted, stepping between Rogue and the demons. "We need to get schedules for you three before anything else."  
  
Yuusuke smirked. "Fun."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Lance leaned against one of the windows on the second-floor hallway, looking idly down upon the empty, silent school grounds. The tardy bell had rung a few short minutes ago, and almost all of the other students had disappeared into their respective classrooms. Behind him, Lance could hear the distinctive sounds of Fred 'The Blob' Dukes munching sloppily on a bag of potato chips procured from a nearby snack machine . . . free of charge, of course.  
  
Pietro was standing near Lance, looking completely bored with his life, shifting from foot to foot, crossing and uncrossing his arms, tapping his fingers restlessly, and generally being his fidgety, irritated self.  
  
"You have NO idea how lame this is to me, Lance," he muttered. "What happened to pestering X-geeks? Has this school become totally devoid of ANY form of entertainment, or what?"  
  
"Toad hasn't shown up, yet," Lance reminded the silver-haired boy.  
  
Pietro snorted. "Yeah, but so what? He was at the house this morning. What's the fuss?"  
  
The crunching, munching sounds ceased momentarily. "Toad HAS been actin' weird," Fred commented.  
  
"He never talks anymore," said Lance. "And have you noticed that he doesn't get in trouble, either?"  
  
"I haven't been around his classes to see if he has or hasn't." Pietro's frown deepened. "What, he playing a goody-goody all of a sudden?"  
  
"NO." Lance shook his head, absently scanning the hallways for anyone near enough to overhear their conversation. "He hasn't done anything to get INTO trouble in the first place, and that just isn't Toad."  
  
"No, it isn't," Pietro agreed. He turned away, his eyes narrowing in thought.  
  
Since Mystique had left her position as 'principle,' she was rarely around for them to use as a source of info, only showing up when Magneto had orders he needed fulfilled. She wouldn't have given a lone mission to Toad; he wasn't the solitary type . . . he needed a group to back him up, or else he was worthless in a real fight.  
  
So . . . no mission. Maybe Frog-Boy was sick?  
  
Nah, that couldn't be it, either. The night before, Todd had executed several amazing acrobatic stunts on his way through the kitchen during his escape attempt after snitching a sandwich from Fred --who was in close pursuit of the culprit at the time. No one Pietro knew could have managed three back-handsprings, a rebound off the fridge door, and a forward somersault with a twist and a round-off as a finale . . . all on a sour stomach.  
  
Well, geeze, what could be wrong with the runt, then?  
  
" . . . not very polite, Hiei . . ."  
  
"Hn."  
  
"C'mon, Kurama . . . you thought it was funny, too . . ."  
  
Pietro's ears pricked at the sound of approaching voices, the Toad Problem momentarily pushed to the back of his thoughts. He glanced toward Lance and Fred; Fred hadn't noticed the voices over the sounds he was making during his pig-out session, but Lance met Pietro's gaze and nodded once, indicating that he had heard.  
  
Pietro tilted his head to one side, frowning.  
  
" . . . should show a BIT more restraint, both of you . . ."  
  
The first voice: male, late teens . . .  
  
"Hn. The way that YOU showed restraint earlier?"  
  
Second: another male . . . but Pietro was unable to place the age.  
  
"He's got a point, Kurama." The speaker raised his voice in a parody of a girl's, high pitched and dreamy. "'Oh, Shuichi! I LOVE your hair! HOW do you keep it so soft?' You practically bolted as soon as she shut up! Priceless!"  
  
Third: another male, younger than the first, and packing a lot more attitude, judging by his flippant tone.  
  
"Yuusuke . . . !"  
  
"It's TRUE! You should have seen your face. Admit it, you wanted to Rose Whip her into Reikai."  
  
A short pause. " . . . actually, I was considering the Death Tree."  
  
"You would waste that much youki on a single human female?" Disgust was evident in the second speaker's tone. "Ch. Foxes . . ."  
  
"I wouldn't've blamed you if you had, Kurama. I betcha' I could've gotten the toddler to cover for you."  
  
"But she was a TEACHER!"  
  
Pietro looked over to see Lance frowning, perplexed. The silver-haired boy was gratified to see that he wasn't the only one completely confused by the odd conversation.  
  
Footsteps came ever closer, and three mismatched shadows fell on the tile floor as their owners neared the corner that shielded them from the Brotherhood of Mutants.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke was grinning so widely that his face actually hurt.  
  
Okay, so maybe it hadn't been the strangest thing he'd seen in his life, but it HAD been funny.  
  
No, scratch that. The situation he had just been witness to had been HILARIOUS. Gut-busting, rib-wrenching, die-laughing hilarious.  
  
Picking up their schedules had gone by without incident. The three demons had been pleased to find that the school had placed them all in the same classes to help them 'adjust' to the foreign school; as long as they kept up in class, there wouldn't be a problem.  
  
The secretary was nice (in Kurama's case, a little TOO nice . . . THAT little incident had been entertaining as well), and the principle --Mr. Kelly-- had sent them several suspicious (and borderline vicious) looks upon hearing that they were rooming at the Xavier Institute, but everything went over relatively well.  
  
They had managed to get away from Jean a few minutes before the first bell rang for class, and then they were all heading toward their new home room.  
  
They picked desks as far back as they possibly could, Yuusuke and Kurama sitting so that they could buffer Hiei from the rest of the students (and vice versa), and Hiei had spent his time glaring at anyone who so much as glanced at him.  
  
Kurama had drawn plenty of Looks from both females AND males since his arrival on campus, and it was all that Yuusuke could do to muffle his snickers at the kitsune's well-concealed (to human eyes) irritation. Yuusuke had decided that an innate fashion sense was part and parcel of being a fox-demon; Yuusuke was dressed in an old T-shirt and battered jeans, Hiei (having come without so much as an extra shirt) wore his usual black ensemble (minus the cloak and white scarf), and Kurama . . .  
  
Kurama was dressed impeccably in jeans, a white undershirt, and a deep green button-up shirt that he had left hanging open.  
  
For a short while at the beginning of class, Yuusuke had debated with himself whether or not it would be worthwhile to keep a tally of how many 'cute butt' comments the kitsune would draw by the end of the day.  
  
Then the tardy bell had rung, and the fun REALLY began.  
  
- : - : - Flashback - : - : -  
  
The teacher frowned down at the class roll as her mouth moved slowly, trying to sound out the odd name.  
  
"Ja . . . gan . . . shi . . . Hi . . . ei?"  
  
It came out as 'Sha-gain-shee. Hai-ay.'  
  
Hiei snorted contemptuously, and Yuusuke and Kurama exchanged an amused look.  
  
The teacher fidgeted, pushing her glasses higher on her nose. "Is there anyone by that name here?"  
  
Hiei had corrected her pronunciation of his name coolly. "Jaganshi Hiei."  
  
"Oh, there you are. That's good. I . . ." She paused, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What--- What's that on your forehead?"  
  
Hiei sneered. "A bandana, oban [1], what else would it be?"  
  
"Well, take it off." The teacher frowned disapprovingly. "New student or not, no headgear of any kind is allowed inside school buildings, and that includes bandanas."  
  
Hiei's eyes narrowed. He made no move to do as she had told him.  
  
Yuusuke allowed himself a mental groan. There was a VERY limited number of people who could order Hiei to do something with impunity, and this female was NOT included in that select group.  
  
="Hiei, please don't cause a scene,"= Kurama murmured.  
  
The teacher was scowling indignantly at the small-statured demon, walking briskly down the aisle toward him.  
  
="I'll deal with this how I please, fox."=  
  
="Hiei!"=  
  
The teacher's hand was stretching forth toward the offending band of white cloth. "When I say 'off,' mister, I mean OFF---"  
  
Hiei's hand lashed around her wrist swifter than thought, and he somehow managed to extricate himself gracefully from the desk, rising to his feet without once removing his gaze from the startled teacher's face.  
  
"Don't EVER touch me," he growled softly.  
  
The entire class stared in fascination. Yuusuke for one was glad that no one from the Institute shared this particular class with them.  
  
Yuusuke and Kurama slowly rose to their feet as well, wary of the explosive situation before them.  
  
="Hiei . . . "= murmured Kurama warningly. ="Don't be rash."=  
  
Yuusuke slid between Hiei and the teacher, laughing nervously. "Sorry, ma'am, you'll have to excuse my friend. He's got a few issues he needs to work out." He carefully extricated the stunned woman's wrist out of Hiei's iron grip, and Hiei allowed his hold to be broken. "That's really a bandage, you see . . . he tripped in the shower earlier this week, and he's been a bit irritable since then. I know you won't mind if we take him to see the councilor, now, right? Thanks, see you later!"  
  
Kurama followed swiftly behind the two dark-haired demons (Yuusuke pulling Hiei along by one arm) as they made their escape from the crowded room.  
  
As soon as the door closed behind them, Hiei shook of the Toushin's grip, turning to snarl up at the taller boy.  
  
"I. DON'T. /TRIP/."  
  
- : - : - End Flashback - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke folded his arms behind his head as the demonic trio wandered aimlessly down one of the school hallways. "Kurama, you worry WAY too much."  
  
"We're supposed to be acting like normal kids. Skipping our FIRST CLASS on our FIRST DAY is NOT normal."  
  
Yuusuke grinned, chuckling. "Hey, we said that we'd go to school. Nobody said anything about classes!"  
  
Kurama sighed. "I doubt that our hosts will see it that way."  
  
Yuusuke shrugged. "Hey, we'll just figure out which classes we have with people we know, and go to those classes with 'em. Then it'll look like we're model students."  
  
They rounded a bend in the hallway, and the Reikai Tantei found themselves face-to-face with a trio that was nearly as odd as they were.  
  
One was a boy with silver hair arranged in an odd, streamlined style, looking at them with a piercingly direct gaze. Second was a broad- shouldered boy with medium-length, dark brown hair, also staring at them.  
  
The third was a mountain of a young man (more fat than man, if Yuusuke was any judge) with his hair cut in a mohawk, messily devouring a good-sized bag of potato chips.  
  
"See?" Yuusuke turned slightly toward Kurama. "Told you that skipping was normal."  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
[1] Oban- Japanese: bitchy old hag  
  
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Sorry that it's short, but may I reiterate that I'm sick? I'm leaving now. Maybe next chapter will be longer (and posted sooner, hopefully *crosses fingers*).  
  
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Sorry, no review responses for this chapter. I'm only going to answer some questions that I thought were important, then I'm going to go load up on Benedril and collapse on the couch in a drugged stupor to ride out this stinking cold.  
  
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: takahashi shuurin : Feel free to explain the whole 'GENKAI LIVES!!!' thing to me the next time you review. And MANY, MANY, MANY thanks for your help with the translations. Don't worry, I'll stay away from 'aishite iru' and 'suki da yo' (sp?). I had no idea that 'I love you' was so . . . taboo, I suppose is the word I'm looking for. Being raised the way I have, a day doesn't go by that I don't tell my mom, brother, and dad that I love them, so it's really an odd concept for me. I think I'll use your first option, but sometimes I lean more toward the second. You'll have to wait and see which one I choose! Domo arigatou gozaimasu! (That IS right, correct?)  
  
: Terris : You weren't imagining things. I went back and corrected my little boo-boo when you pointed it out to me. Thankies!  
  
: Platinum1 : Do me a REALLY BIG favor and refer to the irritated, PMSing rant at the bottom of chapter 11. It still applies.  
  
: carla : *huggles* I'm so HAPPY! I feel uberly loved. I'm really glad that you feel I am such a good writer. It's awesome when people tell me stuff like that, especially since I want to be a sci-fi/fantasy author when I graduate college! Yayness!  
  
: Mistress of Dragons : *sighs* I would clarify the time period for you . . . if I could. I'm afraid that I'm gonna' be warping the X-men timeline all out of wack in the story. For all intents and purposes, let's say that people know that the X-men exist, but they don't know who the X-men are. Let's see if that works out . . .  
  
: liz : Here's a review response for you, dearie. Hope you enjoy it. If you don't like my review responses, then just skip 'em and go to the next chapter, OK?  
  
: lemmings_please : 1) Kurama and Yuusuke introduced Hiei to the X-men at the mansion, but aside from that . . . Hmm. I suppose that Koenma could have given Hiei ningen registration papers. I'll have to patch that little plot-hole when I go back and revise. 2) SO close . . . but not quite. ^_^  
  
: Dragon Sythe : I actually looked up the tail thing on the internet, and it said that Kurama has five tails. The more powerful a fox-demon is, the more tails they have. Nine is the maximum, and I don't think that there are any nine-tailed kitsune around. Youko Kurama is uber powerful for a fox, and he's had a rough time of it. Someone would have to be way more powerful than him in order to survive long enough to grow nine tails. And yes, Yuusuke still has on the translator.  
  
: O Demented ONe : Er . . . *hands over several doses of Valium* Get lots of rest, k?  
  
: Lobo-Chan : I think I'll go with option #1, thanks. I don't write 'demented' very well. Thanks for the info!  
  
: Gemini Star1 : Sickle moons are crescent moons. Go to http : / / physicsweb . org / box / news / 5 / 4 / 10 / 010410 (copy, paste, and remove the spaces). It's a very pretty picture. As far as Black Tempest and Shadow Tempest goes, I did that on purpose. When you translate between two languages, there's always going to be something twisted or altered in the process. In this case, 'black' got morphed into 'shadow.' Nothing major, but I thought that it would sound better in English as 'Shadow Tempest.'  
  
: Evil Towel : Yep, the Mi'snarii flower is purely mine. Glad you liked it. And if you think that six-hour plane rides are long, try six-hour CAR rides. That's what I go through visiting MS. Yeesh. Already done it twice this week: once on Friday, once on Sunday. FUN. *note: heavy sarcasm on previous word*  
  
: Greeneyes7 : No, he told her that he was a mutant. Sorry to disappoint.  
  
: Kyandoru : *squirms uncomfortably* Well, Hiei IS half-koorime. What else am I supposed to call him? Half-breed? That'll go over REAL well. You want me to be decapitated ala katana or something? . . . Oh, well. I'll see what I can do.  
  
: Karamas_Girl123 : Yuusuke IS part demon, so it's just his demonic blood coming to the fore. As far as his name goes, technically there are thousands of ways you can spell names from anime, since hiragana are symbols for phonetic sounds and not really letters. The extra 'u' in Yuusuke is just there for emphasis. Don't let it bother you.  
  
: Yanslana : I'll be certain to put some of my favorite stories into my folder for you, k? Hope you like 'em. I tend to be picky about what I read, so they should meet your expectations as far as plot, characterization, and grammar goes.  
  
: SelurOatNer : Interesting screen name. I think you're a bit mixed up, though. The Brotherhood is the group with Pietro, Lance, Fred, and Todd (Avalanche, Quicksilver, The Blob, and Toad). I think that you mean the Acolytes (Magneto's band of merry mutants). I won't be putting them in there because I don't know enough about their characters to write them well. Sorry. 


	13. Who Says That School's Boring?

*trumpets blare, the curtain draws back. KS steps out timidly, waving, stepping over various piles of knives, rotten tomatoes, shotgun casings, shuriken, mutilated plushies, poisoned cyber-cookies, etc.*  
  
Er, hi. I'm back, and I'm really glad that you haven't killed me for my long hiatus . . . *glances around nervously* . . . yet.  
  
I am SO sorry that this took so long. Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth. It was one of those lovely 'mountain' chapters that you have to get over before you can get writing on the other chapters that you already have planned out and so will be very easy and fun to write. ^_^;  
  
Look on the bright side; I'll be updating more now, and there'll be more action, too!  
  
GOOD NEWS: I have my first piece of FANART up! It's on mediaminer.org, and it's a picture of Kurama in his fox-form. I think it's uber, and I'd really like it if you could go see it and review! It's at:  
  
http : // www . mediaminer . org / fanart / view . php ? id = 155060 & submit = View  
  
You know the drill: copy, paste, remove the spaces, and hit enter.  
  
Thanks in advance! ^_^  
  
And also, if anyone wants to draw fanart of this, let me know where it's posted. I'll put a special mention in my story, and moreover, I'd love you forever!  
  
Also, be certain to read the survey at the bottom of the page. Thanks again!  
  
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BIG TIP: If you know for a fact that I've posted a new chapter but the site continually tells you that it doesn't exist, make certain that you are at the URL of where the chapter SHOULD be and type ONE PERIOD at the end of the address and hit enter. It should take you to the page. This trick also works well on those 'site experiencing overload' pages, but sometimes it won't go through.  
  
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Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect.  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Grade levels go something like this:  
  
Scott: senior  
  
Jean: senior (See? See? I changed it. Happy?)  
  
Lance: junior  
  
Fred: junior  
  
Rogue: sophomore  
  
Kurt: sophomore  
  
Pietro: sophomore  
  
Kitty: freshman  
  
Evan: freshman  
  
Todd: freshman  
  
(Wanda doesn't technically go to school.)  
  
Kurama: junior  
  
Yuusuke: junior  
  
Hiei: junior  
  
- : - : - Chapter Thirteen: Who Says That School's Boring? - : - : -  
  
Hank McCoy stared at the video screen with a mixture of confusion and astonishment upon his blue-furred face. "What in the world is THAT?"  
  
He and Charles had endured one devil of a time attempting to track down footage of Kitty's 'dog-thing'; they had started around seven forty-five in the morning and now it was nearing ten. Luckily, their search was not fruitless. They HAD managed to find something of interest.  
  
The footage that now occupied the screen was a twenty-two-point-four second clip taken from one of the forest cameras, playing on a continuous loop.  
  
It began with a view of one of the larger clearings that resided in the thick woods on the mansion grounds. Moonlight filtered through a gap in the leafy canopy overhead, highlighting the tall grass within the clearing. The view was framed by tree trunks and leafy branches, giving the feeling that one was actually crouched amidst the greenery.  
  
An invisible breeze passed through the tangled web of plants, stirring leaves into a silent dance, and one branch dipped down over the lens of the camera, obscuring the clearing from sight.  
  
Less than a second later, the branch lifted, and a shining creature stood alone at the heart of the glade, practically glowing beneath the touch of the moonlight.  
  
At first glance, it could have been mistaken as a slender dog, but when one took into account the unnaturally slim muzzle and legs and the triangular ears, it was obvious that the creature was a fox.  
  
A white fox.  
  
With five tails.  
  
It stood poised for a short moment, the fur along its back highlighted and that along its underbelly gray with shadows, the multiple tails swaying behind it as though each was possessed of its own mind.  
  
The creature turned suddenly, gracefully, and a pair of disconcerting, golden eyes --slanted like those of a cat and outlined by a thin band of dark, almost black fur-- fixed themselves firmly upon the watching camera.  
  
The fox's lips pulled away from its teeth in what might have been called a smirk, its canines glimmering ominously, and it appeared as though the odd beast was mocking whomever dared to spy upon it.  
  
Once more, wind swept through the clearing, and the branch dipped down over the lens.  
  
When it lifted once more, the creature was gone.  
  
The video began to repeat itself once more, and Charles turned toward the blue-furred man beside him. "Have you ever seen such a thing before?"  
  
"Never in my life." Hank's eyes narrowed as the footage showed the creature's mysterious entrance once more. "The main body is most assuredly that of a fox, even though it is bigger than a normal fox's body; this thing's shoulders could probably reach chest-height on some of the students . . . but FIVE tails? I've never heard of such a thing!"  
  
Charles rubbed his forehead, feeling a slight twinge that heralded an oncoming headache. "Neither have I. A mutation, perhaps?"  
  
Hank's confusion showed openly in his gaze as he faced the telepath. "Charles, simply put, I don't know. I've never encountered the likes of this before. The best I can say is to up security and see if it shows up again. I'll research it, of course, but---"  
  
They were interrupted by a loud knock upon the door and a muffled call. "Hey, Chuck, you in there?"  
  
Charles turned away from the monitor, leaving Hank to ponder the footage in silence. "Come in, Logan."  
  
The door swung aside, admitting the dark-haired mutant, a scowl firmly set upon his face. "I told you they'd be trouble, Chuck."  
  
"Who?" Charles frowned, puzzled. He refrained from reaching into the other man's mind for answers, as Logan greatly valued his mental privacy.  
  
"The newcomers," growled Logan in response. "They're causing trouble already. Got a call from the school. Seems like Chibi's already managed to threaten one of the teachers, and none of the them've been seen in any classes since first period."  
  
Charles glanced at the clock mounted upon one of the walls. "That's quite a while. What do you mean he --I can only assume that you mean Hiei-- 'threatened' a teacher? What did he do, exactly?"  
  
Logan shrugged, still looking irritated. "Apparently, the lady tried to get him to take off that headband of his, and he didn't want none of it. Something about him grabbing her arm. Yuusuke and Shuichi took him out of the room before anything else could happen, and then they disappeared."  
  
"I'll contact Scott and have him and the others keep an eye out." Charles sighed heavily. "I was worried that they would have problems adjusting, but I thought they would at least wait until the third or fourth day before they started . . . rebelling."  
  
Logan's scowl deepened. "Frankly, Chuck, I don't think that Chibi OR the other two give a flying f---" He caught sight of Charle's disapproving look and revised what he had been about to say. "---flip . . . about who's supposed to be in charge."  
  
Charles sighed softly. "You heard Hiei say that he's an orphan. And from what you've told me, Yuusuke's home life is far from ideal. They most likely aren't accustomed to someone giving them orders. We'll just have to do our best to help them adjust. Shuichi will probably be a good, steadying influence on the pair of them; he seems to be a nice enough young man."  
  
Logan snorted. "Chuck, I know what you think about following my instincts without solid proof to back 'em up, but out of all three of 'em, THAT one smells the most . . . off . . . and the other two don't exactly reek of daisies, you know."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"I---" Logan broke off, frowning. "Chuck, just trust me on this. They're gonna' be trouble."  
  
Charles smiled wryly. "From what you've told me, they're ALREADY 'trouble.' . . . Don't let it worry you so much, Logan. I'll be certain that something is done. For the moment, come tell me what you think of this." He turned back toward the video screen, hearing the other mutant follow close behind.  
  
Logan peered over the professor's shoulder, and a sharp, startled intake of air hissed between his teeth.  
  
"kitsune . . . !"  
  
"What?" Charles tilted his head slightly to see the intense look upon Logan's face. "You know what it is?"  
  
Logan ignored the question. "Where did you get this from?"  
  
"The outside cameras, out in the forest."  
  
"You're telling' me that you actually saw a kitsune ON INSTITUTE GROUNDS?"  
  
Hank frowned. "Logan, please, we don't even know what this 'keet-soo-nay' thing IS. Would you care to explain?"  
  
Logan's eyes narrowed in thought as he considered his words. "A kitsune . . . It's from Japanese mythology. In English, I guess you'd say . . . 'spirit fox.' "  
  
Hank had snatched up a nearby sheet of paper and pen and now was scribbling notes furiously.  
  
Logan ignored him and went on. "I don't know much. In the stories I've heard, they're cunning and mischievous, and renowned for their skills as thieves. They can have up to nine tails; the more powerful or the older they are, the more tails they grow."  
  
"And this . . . kitsune . . . has five." Charles looked thoughtful.  
  
Logan scowled at the professor. "Chuck, they're myths. There's no such thing."  
  
"Logan, we have this on video tape. Even if it ISN'T a 'kitsune,' you're knowledge is the first lead we have. We might as well follow it."  
  
The burly mutant growled, but then his eyes narrowed dangerously.  
  
Charles noticed the change. "Logan?"  
  
"Chuck, don't you think it's odd . . . We bring in three new students from JAPAN, and suddenly you find footage of something from JAPANESE mythology . . . Bit big for a coincidence, don't y'think?"  
  
Charles Xavier allowed a small smile to cross his features. "I don't believe in coincidence at all, Logan. I thought you knew that."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
~:Scott?:~  
  
Scott sat up straighter in his desk, pulled out of the half-doze he had fallen into during his literature teacher's lecture.  
  
~:Professor?:~  
  
~:I want you to keep an eye out on Hiei, Yuusuke, and Shuichi, if you would. It seems that they had a bit of a disagreement with a teacher earlier.:~  
  
Scott frowned. ~:'Disagreement'?:~  
  
~:Don't worry yourself about the details. Just be certain that they don't get too out of line. You share some classes with them, don't you?:~  
  
The frown deepened. ~:Yes, sir. Jean told me their schedules. We have the same lunch, and Kurt, Jean and I have gym with them. Kurt and Kitty probably have more classes with them than I do, though.:~  
  
~:I'll speak with the two of them next, then. Thank you for your help.:~  
  
~:Anytime.:~  
  
~:And pay attention more. Your teacher has been calling on you for quite some time, and she sounds annoyed.:~  
  
~:What!?:~  
  
"---Mr. Summers, since you have been paying SUCH close attention, please look in your book and tell us the various examples of metaphorical speech in line eighty of the selection, if you would be SO kind."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurama wasn't certain whether he was amused or annoyed.  
  
At the moment, he was walking at the head of a rather odd cavalcade. Hiei strode silently beside the kitsune-turned-human, his customary glower firmly in place, and Yuusuke ambled along somewhere behind and to the left.  
  
And behind Yuusuke, the odd, silver-haired young man and his two companions --all of them mutants; he could tell by their scents and by what little aura he could pick up from them-- could be seen following.  
  
Yuusuke and the fair-haired boy --Pietro-- hadn't ceased their exchanges of insults since they had first seen one another.  
  
" . . . how do you get your bangs to do that, anyway, Pete? Industrial strength super-glue?"  
  
"It's 'Pietro,' thanks. And who are you to talk about hairstyles? I'll bet there's enough gel on YOUR head to qualify as a Nascar crash helmet. Is that how you win fights? Head butting people?"  
  
Kurama heard Hiei snicker faintly . . . too faintly to be heard by human ears.  
  
"And I'll bet that you win your fights by talking people to death. Yak yak. Aren't you worried that your tongue's gonna' just fall off one day?"  
  
"I can hear your brain cells screaming in agony. All those chemicals on your head are killing 'em off. There's got to be a law or something about walking environmental hazards."  
  
"Hey, if I'm so horrible to be around, why are you following me like a little lost puppy?"  
  
"Please. I was bored. Three oddballs like you ought to be able to provide a LITTLE entertainment."  
  
Kurama sighed and glanced over his shoulder. Yuusuke was grinning, and Pietro was smirking.  
  
Wonderful. This was their version of entertainment.  
  
For a moment, Kurama's eyes met with those of the broad-shouldered boy with the long hair. A second of mutual annoyance at their comrades' shenanigans passed between them, and the boy shrugged his shoulders as though to say 'It could be worse.'  
  
Kurama nodded once in understanding before turning his gaze back toward the hallway they were traversing.  
  
"Oy, Shuichi."  
  
Another small sigh. "Yes, Yuusuke?"  
  
"Where're you leading us to? Not back to class, I hope."  
  
"As if you would go back without me dragging you there." Kurama sent another glance back over his shoulder. "I'm going to find a locker to use. I don't see any point in the three of us carrying all these---" He hefted the sheaf of papers --made up of schedules, worksheets from their first classes, makeup work, and other documents-- which he held pinned beneath his arm. "---around all day."  
  
Yuusuke grimaced. "You want to buy a locker? The old lady in the office said they cost three bucks to rent or something."  
  
"Three-fifty, actually," interjected the broad-shouldered boy walking beside Pietro.  
  
Kurama allowed himself a deep-throated chuckle. "Who said anything about paying?"  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Pietro was intrigued.  
  
One of the advantages of living as 'fast' as he did was being able to ponder new developments at length.  
  
These latest three 'developments' were requiring quite a bit of pondering.  
  
The first of the three could easily be mistaken for a female unless one paid close attention to his mannerisms: how he walked, the way that he watched things around him, the way he spoke --his voice was a very big giveaway as to his sex. Seriously, though, he had to be pretty confident in his masculinity to walk around with hair THAT red and THAT long.  
  
Lance had long hair and managed to look 'guy-ish.' Pietro couldn't see why this new kid couldn't do the same.  
  
The next boy in line looked like he couldn't be any older than twelve. His hair was spiky enough to pass for a black firecracker in mid-explosion. His eyes were red --something which had startled Pietro-- and it didn't look as though the color was caused by contacts.  
  
Also, when the short boy spoke, it was with a voice far too deep to belong to a mere kid.  
  
Another mystery.  
  
Last of all . . .  
  
Despite the apparent strangeness of the other two, Pietro had found himself liking the third boy shortly after their so-called conversation had begun. Even though the raven-haired young man appeared to be nothing more than another tough that had found his way into the school, he was possessed of a sense of humor to match the quirkiness of Pietro's own, quick wits, and an even quicker mouth.  
  
So . . . a pretty-boy, a kid-who-wasn't-a-kid, and a punk.  
  
The day was getting more interesting by the second.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurama rapped lightly upon the door of his chosen target, listening closely for any muffled sound that would indicate that the locker in question had been claimed by another student. He had allowed his nose to lead him here; this locker was the only one nearby without the scent of human hands upon it . . . in other words, no one had touched it in a long while.  
  
It was quite a credit to his youko senses that he could pick something so minute out of the myriad of other scents that filled the school.  
  
Not that he was gloating or anything.  
  
He tapped again at the metal surface, first near the top of the door, then the bottom, and at each side.  
  
Empty.  
  
He smiled.  
  
He was aware of the gazes of Yuusuke, Hiei, and the three other boys resting heavily upon his back, but he didn't care one way or another.  
  
He leaned down, placing his ear near the lock, and he slowly twirled the handle the three necessary turns to the right, waiting for it . . .  
  
*click*  
  
Back to the left . . . carefully . . .  
  
Within twenty seconds of his discovery of the locker of his choice, the door was hanging open, and Kurama was stowing his stack of paperwork within. He took Yuusuke's and Hiei's papers from them and placed them inside as well, reflecting that he could always 'acquire' two more lockers should they need more room.  
  
On the pretext of brushing one hand through his hair, Kurama extracted a small seed from near the base of his neck and turned back to the locker. Making certain that his body blocked the three other boys' view of what he was doing, he tucked the seed into the metal casing around the lock itself.  
  
He shut the door and twirled the lock closed, surreptitiously sending a small flare of youki into the seed and prodding it into sending small tendrils throughout the mechanism, effectively jamming it.  
  
He turned back toward the unlikely group of teenagers, tilting his head to one side. "Shall we go then?" he asked politely.  
  
Pietro scoffed openly. "Big whoop. So you can break into a locker. So can every other guy in this place."  
  
Kurama motioned the boy toward the locker, knowing that he was acting more like a youko and less like a human --most likely aftereffects of the previous night's transformation-- . . . and he didn't really care. "Feel free to try."  
  
The pale boy scowled, but he strode up to the locker and placed his hand upon the knob, a determined look upon his face.  
  
However, when a multitude of small, writhing, green vines launched themselves through the locker door's vent --encouraged into action by a little youki on the part of a certain kitsune-- and wrapped themselves tightly around his wrist, he yelped and . . . disappeared.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Pietro scraped the last of the clinging tendrils --torn away from their fellows by the speed of his 'departure'-- from his arm as he slowed to a stop beside Lance and Fred, both of whom now watched the other three boys with suspicion.  
  
It was surprising that all three of the new students already had their eyes locked firmly upon Pietro before he even came to a halt.  
  
"What the hell was THAT?" Pietro snapped, shaken more than he'd like to admit.  
  
The redheaded boy looked toward the locker which still sported an interesting array of vines and leaves upon its front, and all of the greenery silently withdrew, disappearing back into the vent.  
  
His heart still pounding, Pietro glared blackly at the longhaired young man . . . and also at the spiky haired kid, who was smirking openly at him.  
  
"You're a mutant," he growled, narrowing his eyes at the redhead.  
  
"Yes," agreed the other amicably, green eyes glinting. "As are my friends . . . and you and your friends as well."  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
: Mistress of Dragons : No, sorry. I won't bring Kuwabara in. I know for a fact that I WILL bash him, no matter how much I try not to, and I don't want to do that. Sorry. You WILL see him a little toward the end, though. I like your empathy idea, though. Maybe if I do a sequel . . . hmmm. Awesome! Two reviews from you, too! I'll think about your mutant name suggestions. I'm holding kind of a contest for suggestions (see bottom of page).  
  
: Reikson : Whoo! Long one! Okay, here goes . . . I won't be bringing in Kuwabara during the main story (read the above response); I don't like mooching off of villains from the series to fill in my plot line; The Pheonix Force --interesting idea by the way-- would make things WAY too complicated (good idea for a sequel, though); yes, this IS set after the series; I will have Yuusuke use a technique that's sort of a pseudo Spirit- Bomb/Wave that you'll probably like; you can imagine Hiei as being taller if you want to but I'm not going to touch that one right now; no, Hiei hasn't told Yukina yet; and I probably won't bring in the Acolytes since I don't know their characters well. *wipes sweat off her forehead* I think I got it all. Any more questions?  
  
: O Demented ONe : Seriously, hon, get LOTS of sleep. Want some Paxil?  
  
: Gemini Star 1 : Remember, Kurama is a kitsune/youko at heart. What does he care about school? Personally, I think he only goes to keep his mom happy . . . but, hey, that's just me. About the bus ride . . . *shudders* Okay, dude, you win the Worst Trip Possible Award. *hands over gold trophy with a small bus mounted on top* Have fun. And, yeah, the X-men'll probably lambaste the Tantei into going to class sooner or later.  
  
: Freak Moister : Let me know when you write that crossover; I want to read it, 'kay?  
  
: Dark Dreaming : The translator takes care of speaking, reading, writing, etc., but I'm open to suggestions explaining why a certain Japanese student doesn't know Japanese. Help?  
  
: takahashi shuurin : I can't believe it took me THIS LONG to get this chapter out! I feel awful! *sobs* I'm a horrible person, I really am! . . . Yay, two reviews from you! I'm happy! Yeah, school sucks. And I suppose that I should just say Domo arigatou? Thanks for the explanation about Genkai's resurrection and also the whole 'I love you' thing. Domo arigatou! (See? I CAN learn!) Anywho, I WILL put in a game of mutant ball, and I'll dedicate it to you! *bows* You definitely get the Favorite Reviewer award. Also, If you need help with names and powers, visit the very first chapter (er, the preface, you know?). There's a list of all the X-men and Brotherhood members, their names, their mutant names, and their powers there for your reading pleasure. Hope it helps!  
  
: Jax : *clutches her heart* He . . . he can SPEAK! Gah! *gurgle* *collapses from stroke/heart attack*  
  
: Rurouni Saiyan : Well, if Lance DID get them kicked out, they're back now! So there! *sticks out tongue at The Council of Canon Fanfiction Enforcement*  
  
: Agent Dark Moose : Great minds think alike! Yeah, I'm sitting watching the show, I see Kurama pull out his usual rose, and I'm thinking "Hmmm . . . it's gotta' be roots or something . . ." -_-; Have I mentioned that I have no life? Anywho . . . seriously, write a crossover like this one if you want to. But you have to tell me where to find it so I can read it, okay?  
  
: asdf (??? o.O; ) : Actually, if you're going around a right-angle curve at forty-five, it IS fast. Trust me on this. Either trust me or come ride in the car when my brother's driving some time. You'll see what I mean.  
  
: Raynin : *grins* LOVED the review. And anyway, I think I've answered your question.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Here's a little survey to help me out with the story! Feel free to answer the questions in your review. I'd REALLY appreciate it!  
  
1) Should I or should I not bring Jin into this? It'll work either way, but some people have been rooting for him to show up. I can work it in (in a FEASIBLE fashion) if people really want me to.  
  
2) I need suggestions for nicknames that Logan would give Yuusuke and Kurama (and maybe Jin). (Hiei, as you already know, has been dubbed 'Chibi.')  
  
3) I need suggestions for mutant names for Yuusuke, Hiei and Kurama (and Jin, since it's very possible that I'm going to add him). I was tempted to just make them Toushin, Jagan, and Youko, but that would have been too simple. 


	14. 600 Review Special

600 REVIEW SPECIAL!!!  
  
. . . In all honesty, it's just a cheap trick in order to buy me more time to work on the next chapter (ANOTHER MOUNTAIN! GAH!) without getting my wonderful reviewers riled up.  
  
Shhh. Don't tell.  
  
Hope you enjoy, and do come again.  
  
NOTE: I don't know if it's canon or not, but in THIS story, Keiko knows about the Reikai, Yuusuke's demon blood, and all that other good stuff . . . She's just not all that comfortable with certain aspects of it.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing aside from assorted stuffed animals and a set of floppy disks . . . and this plot. But that's all!  
  
- : - : - 600 REVIEW SPECIAL -or- HE'S GONE!?!? - : - : -  
  
Botan was having a rather good day, all things considered.  
  
There was very little work for her to do. The perpetual wars in southeast Asia had died down momentarily and her fellow ferry girls were handling the light loads rather well without her. Children were actually looking both ways before crossing the streets. Gangsters had seemingly decided to take a day off from drive-bys and mugging and do something constructive instead, like painting graffiti. People either weren't drinking or they weren't driving, but whatever they WERE doing, drunk-driver deaths were down over seventy-percent.  
  
In short, Botan now found herself in possession of her first day off since the golden years of the Pax Romana --even though THAT vacation had come about as a result of threatening bodily harm to her vertically-challenged employer by use of her oar.  
  
Normally, with a day to herself, she would have visited Yuusuke. Interesting things always happened around him, after all, and she was looking for something exciting to do on her day off.  
  
Sadly, though, Yuusuke was now in the US of A, and Koenma had given her VERY specific orders to STAY AWAY. They couldn't risk jeopardizing the Tantei's cover by suddenly having the Grim Reaper show up riding sidesaddle on her trusty oar.  
  
Her second choice would have been Kurama's company --for the same reasons as Yuusuke-- but visiting him was taboo as well --again, for the reasons as previously stated.  
  
Hiei . . . well, she wouldn't have visited him anyway. What with her status as the Grim Reaper, it would probably have been rather difficult for the little fire-demon to strike her a mortal blow, but she highly doubted that the mere technicality of her immortal life would stop the sadistic Jaganshi from making the encounter a very memorable --I.e. excruciating-- experience.  
  
That left Kuwabara, Yukina, Genkai, or Keiko.  
  
Kuwabara . . . no, thanks. He would either be enjoying his newly acquired status of Number One Bad-Ass currently attending Sara Yashiki High School . . . or he would prattle on about Yukina until the cows came home --not that Botan knew what that meant, but it was an interesting expression nonetheless.  
  
Yukina was busy tending to Atsuko. The pair had forged a sort of Mother- Daughter relationship within the first few days, and Atsuko's wasn't drinking QUITE as much. Botan didn't want to mess with whatever bonds the two might be building, and so the STAY AWAY law applied to them as well.  
  
Genkai probably wouldn't enjoy having Botan show up uninvited. The aged martial artist enjoyed her privacy greatly --although she seemed to make an exception for Yuusuke's large, blue phoenix, Puu . . . probably because he didn't speak and because (Botan suspected) the great bundle of feathers reminded the old woman of her student-- and Botan knew that her boisterous, ceaselessly cheerful nature tended to rub Genkai the wrong way.  
  
That left Keiko.  
  
Botan hovered for several more moments above the vast, cluttered landscape of Tokyo, watching the sunlight gleaming upon the windows of the many tall buildings, before turning her oar toward the section of town she knew held Keiko's house.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Keiko's eyes shone with worry as she pressed the telephone closer to her ear. "Are you sure? Absolutely? . . . I see." She sighed softly, her eyes darkening with disappointment. "Yes, sir . . . I understand. Thank you . . . You WILL call if you find out anything, won't you? . . . Thank you . . . Goodbye."  
  
She settled the handset back into the cradle gently before lowering herself onto her bed slowly. She propped her elbows upon her knees and cradled her chin in her hands.  
  
"Yuusuke . . ."  
  
"Keiko! Keiko-chaaaaan! Can you hear me?"  
  
Keiko started violently. "Botan?"  
  
She craned her neck toward the lone window of her room, and sure enough, there was the Grim Reaper herself, pink kimono and all, hanging in midair whilst mounted upon her trusty oar. Wind whipped fiercely at the violet- eyed young woman's clothes and hair, and every now and then her oar would lurch from the fierce winds.  
  
"BOTAN!"  
  
As swiftly as she was able, Keiko crossed the floor and unlatched the window, allowing Botan to dart into the relative safety of the room. Within moments, the young immortal had hopped daintily onto the carpet, her oar disappearing in a small flash of light.  
  
"Thank you! It was getting SO windy . . ." Botan was smiling her normal, sunny smile, until she turned and saw the unhappy look upon Keiko's face. "Hey, now, Keiko-chan, why so glum?"  
  
"It's Yuusuke!" Keiko blurted suddenly, sounding distressed. "He's disappeared! I'm so worried, no one's seen him, and whenever I try to call his mom, she says something about him being transferred to another school! Kuwabara doesn't know a thing, and the principal hasn't seen him. Kurama's not home, and kami knows where Hiei is . . . I tried to reach you, but I never knew how to find you! I'm so worried! What if a demon---"  
  
"Whoa!" Botan held up her hands as though to fend off an attack, smiling. "Wait up, now, Keiko, don't be such a worrywart! He's fine. He's just off on a mission."  
  
Keiko broke off in mid-sentence, going still. "A . . . mission?"  
  
"Well, yes, you silly thing. Kurama and Hiei as well. Where else would they be? As if any demon nowadays could hold a candle to our Yuusuke! Honestly!" She laughed lightly.  
  
Keiko's eyes narrowed. "You knew?"  
  
"Why, yes."  
  
"And you didn't tell me?"  
  
"I thought that you KNEW. Or at least that you would deduce what had happened. Seriously, Keiko, you're far too grim. I'm Death incarnate and I'm less tense than you are!"  
  
Keiko's right eye twitched minutely. "Did Koenma arrange all of this?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
"Botan . . . Would you mind giving me a ride to Reikai?"  
  
Botan blinked. "Well, I'm technically on VACATION right now . . ."  
  
"I won't be ten minutes, I promise. Please?"  
  
"Ah . . . Oh, I suppose ten minutes can't hurt . . ."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Koenma, son of the Mighty Lord Enma, one of the most powerful beings to be found in Makai, Reikai, AND Ningenkai, huddled in his seat, doing his best to disappear . . . or at least burrow himself into the thick cushions of his chair so that he would be hidden from sight.  
  
The list of things able to make him fear for his life was relatively short.  
  
An Extremely Pissed-Off Keiko Ukimura was the most recent addition to that list . . . and currently ranked as Number One.  
  
"---GONE!? ONE A *MISSION*!? I WORRY MY HEART OUT FOR A *WEEK* TO HAVE BOTAN SHOW UP AT MY HOUSE AND TELL ME THAT HE'S *GONE* ON A STUPID *MISSION* AND NO ONE *TOLD* *ME*!? WHAT KIND OF GOD ARE YOU, YOU BRAT? AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE OMNISCIENT OR SOMETHING? DIDN'T IT EVER CROSS YOUR LONE, INFANTILE BRAINCELL THAT HIS *GIRLFRIEND* MIGHT WANT TO *KNOW* WHERE HE WENT!?"  
  
He whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut against Keiko's scorching glare. If looks could kill . . . forget immortality, he'd be crossing the Styx before he could say 'gomen.'  
  
Botan leaned against a wall on the far side of the room, watching with interest. She had thought that she knew the extent of Keiko's vocal volume, but she had apparently underestimated the human girl. All ogres that she could see passing by the office had small plugs of paper crammed into their ears as a safeguard, and they STILL winced when Keiko's voice reached new highs.  
  
"YOU LITTLE, PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR AN INFANT! I HOPE YOU GET THE WORST CASE OF DIAPER RASH EVER SEEN! IF YOU HAD EVEN THE SLIGHTEST BIF OF COMMON SENSE, YOU WOULD *KNOW* TO THINK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S FEELINGS! YOU PULING, DISGUSTING WASTE OF BREATH! YOU RUNTY, WHINING, MORONIC---"  
  
Botan's eyes widened with surprise as the girl proceeded to 'tear into' the infantile god.  
  
Where had Keiko learned such language? It COULD be a side effect of spending so much time with Yuusuke . . . but STILL.  
  
The Grim Reaper snapped her fingers and deftly caught the small wristwatch that materialized out of thin air. She glanced at the time.  
  
So much for her vacation.  
  
- : - : - HOPE YOU ENJOYED! LATER, MINNA-SAN! - : - : - 


	15. Of Powers, Poetry, and Portents

One last repeat of the previous chapter's announcement: I have my first piece of FANART up! It's on mediaminer.org, and it's a picture of Kurama in his fox-form. I think it's uber, and I'd really like it if you could go see it and review! It's at:  
  
http : // www . mediaminer . org / fanart / view . php ? id = 155060 & submit = View  
  
You know the drill: copy, paste, remove the spaces, and hit enter.  
  
Thanks in advance! ^_^  
  
And also, if anyone wants to draw fanart of this, let me know where it's posted. I'll put a special mention in my story, and moreover, I'd love you forever!  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
BIG TIP: If you know for a fact that I've posted a new chapter but the site continually tells you that it doesn't exist, make certain that you are at the URL of where the chapter SHOULD be and type ONE PERIOD at the end of the address and hit enter. It should take you to the page. This trick also works well on those 'site experiencing overload' pages, but sometimes it won't go through.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME. AND I OWN NONE OF EDGAR ALLEN POE'S WORKS, GOT IT!?  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect.  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
- : - : - Chapter Fourteen: Of Powers, Poetry, and Portents - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke frowned, irritated.  
  
To his right, Kurama and Hiei stood beside the newly acquired locker, the former with the smallest hint of gold showing around his irises and the latter with a large smirk upon his features.  
  
To his left were three tense mutants, all of whom were glaring suspiciously at Kurama.  
  
Hiei --still smirking-- peered out of the corner of his eye at Kurama. ="WONDERFUL demonstration of control, fox."=  
  
Yuusuke grimaced. ="I have to agree with him there, Kurama. No more moonlit romps for you if it brings out this much of your youko side."=  
  
Kurama shrugged mildly, the smallest smile playing about upon his lips. ="They would have found out about our 'mutant powers' sooner or later. I was . . . bored."=  
  
Hiei chuckled --a sound that Yuusuke found vaguely disturbing, seeing as how Hiei rarely laughed aside from when he was disemboweling some unfortunate demon. ="A bored fox is a dangerous thing, it would seem."=  
  
Yuusuke snorted. ="I'll be certain to remember that."=  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Pietro's surprise swiftly wore thin, and he leveled a smirk at the three foreigners. "Mutants," he said. "Well, if the day isn't getting more fan- freaking-tastic by the second."  
  
He HAD been regarding the three strangers as a possible source of entertainment, maybe even as a way of gaining more information of the goings-on around the school, but THIS changed everything.  
  
The redhead said that the entire trio was made up of mutants. If that was true, it meant that all three had unique powers, and Pietro had a hunch that they weren't the kind of kids to let just anyone boss them around.  
  
That meant that there were only two places that the newcomers could occupy: enemies . . . or allies.  
  
Pietro straightened from the slight crouch he had fallen into, grinning at the brown-eyed young man who seemed to be the leader of the odd trio. "You already know my name, but I think that a little reiteration would be in order. I'm Pietro Maximoff, also known as Quicksilver, speed-demon extraordinaire---" The two black-haired boys snorted at this for some reason. "Over there is Lance, also known as Avalanche, the walking natural disaster. The big boy's the Immovable Fred Dukes, known as The Blob. You?"  
  
"Yuusuke Urameshi," replied the other with a small, cocky grin. "Worst guy to face in a fight and the biggest bad ass around. The redhead's Shuichi Minamino, legendary plant-master . . . looks, brains, and master thieving skills all rolled into one. Shorty over there is Hiei Jaganshi, the sociopathic pyro and . . ." The grin widened marginally as the boy glanced over at the spiky-haired kid. ". . . second biggest bad ass."  
  
The red-eyed kid glared up at the taller boy, but remained silent.  
  
Pietro's grin widened. "I hope you aren't prone to exaggeration. I'd have to let Fred give you a demonstration of HIS powers."  
  
"What, by sitting on me?" The brown-eyed boy looked offended. "Please say that you're joking. Even IF he can get that bulk of his up to speed, he'd never lay a finger on ANY of us. We've taken down WAY bigger prey than your little trio."  
  
Pietro's interest was immediately caught. He could see no lie in the other boy's eyes, none of the brash confidence that marked one of the wind-bag thugs around the school . . . just simple confidence.  
  
Fred, however, was insulted. "Is that so?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Care to back that up, Loudmouth?"  
  
The raven-haired young man turned his gaze toward the far-larger boy. A mocking smile curved across his lips. "No need to get so worked up," he said coolly. "Just stating facts."  
  
"Then state 'em with your fists," growled Fred.  
  
The brown-eyed boy --Yuusuke-- narrowed his eyes, a small spark of irritation shining in their depths. "Then it would be better if you showed us a way outside. I wouldn't want to building to collapse when I knock you on your ass."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke gazed around at the secluded little 'alley' between the gym and auditorium buildings that Pietro had led them to. It was open enough to allow free range of movement for a mild fight, and yet it wasn't so open that everyone walking by would take note of it.  
  
The Big Boy (as Yuusuke had labeled him) stalked to the opposite side of the alley. "Come on, squirt, let's see what you've got."  
  
Yuusuke rolled his eyes. ="I'm getting nostalgic,"= he called to Kurama and Hiei. ="I feel like I'm back home . . . about to pound Kuwabara into dust."=  
  
Kurama's eyes merely narrowed.  
  
="Be wary, Yuusuke,"= he called. ="We don't truly know what his powers are."=  
  
Unconcerned, Yuusuke tilted his head to the left and right, popping his neck loudly. ="Don't worry so much. He's just a human."=  
  
Fred widened his stance slightly, leaning forward, also smirking. "Come on. Quit with the jibber-jabber, and gimme' your best shot."  
  
Hiei sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. ="That fool is begging to have his ribs broken."=  
  
Kurama smiled slightly. ="Indeed."=  
  
Yuusuke laughed softly at the short exchange, but his thoughts turned immediately back to the rather large opponent before him, sizing him up.  
  
What had Pietro called the guy? 'Blob' ? It was apt, he had to admit that much. What sort of power would a 'blob' have . . . ?  
  
Pietro had said something else as well. 'Immovable.' So, apparently, it took quite a lot of effort to get the guy moving.  
  
A lot of effort for a human, at least.  
  
"All I've got to do is move him?" murmured the Toushin softly. "Heh. Done deal."  
  
He lowered himself into the slightest of crouches, gathering both reiki and some slight youki into his fist, carefully keeping the levels below that of human perception. His fist soon grew warm, and he could feel his youki straining, wishing for more freedom.  
  
He beat back the errant energy forcefully.  
  
Hey, he wanted to knock the guy off his feet, not flambé him.  
  
"You ready, Blobbo?" he called.  
  
"Bring it on!"  
  
A slow, cold smile crept across Yuusuke's lips. "You asked for it."  
  
He launched himself forward faster than Fred's eyes could follow, drawing his fist back as he did so. His eyes narrowed in upon his target: the area of flesh just below where the fat boy's ribs should be.  
  
His fist sunk a good two feet into the pliant flesh of the boy's stomach before it stopped, and then Yuusuke released all of the energy pent up within his fist.  
  
To one with senses attuned to youki and reiki, a huge blue-white flash occurred around Yuusuke's arm, but to the observing humans, it was as though Fred had suddenly been plucked up by a huge, invisible hand and flung through the air to land with a bone-jarring *thud* upon the ground . . . about twenty feet down the alley.  
  
Yuusuke grinned over at the dumfounded figures of Lance and Pietro. "Next?"  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Jean was walking beside Scott when she felt it.  
  
An enormous jolt of shock . . . surprise, awe, even a little fear . . . all of it in one burst so sharp that she stumbled, raising one hand to her chest as she gasped desperately for breath, her heart thundering within her ribcage.  
  
Scott was there immediately, gripping her upper arms to hold her steady, asking what was wrong, did she need help?  
  
The empathic young woman drew in a steadying breath. " . . . someone . . . someone's fighting the Brotherhood!"  
  
Scott stiffened. "What? Who?"  
  
"I don't KNOW who!" Jean shook her head incredulously. "I don't know WHO they are, but they're WINNING!" Closing her eyes, she stretched out her senses, seeking out the distinctive presences of the Brotherhood members . . . then searching around them for the cause of the sudden flood of emotions . . . and she found . . .  
  
Violet?  
  
Her eyes snapped open. "It's THEM!"  
  
Scott's entire body was tense. "Who!?"  
  
"The boys!" Jean turned to stare up into the young man's face. "Yuusuke and Shuichi and Hiei! THEM!"  
  
Scott's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Can you show me where?"  
  
She nodded, pulling away from his supportive grip. "This way!"  
  
Forgetting about lunch completely, the pair raced away down the hallways, drawing stares and whispered comments as they went.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
"Hey! Break it up!"  
  
All six boys turned to face the source of the yell, only to find Scott running towards them, Jean hot on his heels.  
  
Pietro sneered. "And here come the X-geeks . . . to 'save the day,' I assume."  
  
Scott slowed down to an angry stalk as he came nearer, and even despite his perpetually-present glasses, it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that he was furious.  
  
"Summers in the lead," observed Lance coolly. "As always."  
  
"Back off, Alvers," growled Scott. The senior turned his shielded gaze toward the three Japanese students. "You three have A LOT to explain. You're coming with us. Now."  
  
Pietro snickered. "Ah, was the X-geek worried about getting a few, new, wittle recruits?" he sneered. "Don't worry, Summers, we've been taking good care of 'em for you."  
  
"Shut it, Maximoff! . . . Yuusuke, Shuichi, Hiei, we're going NOW."  
  
Yuusuke snorted, muttering low enough that only demon ears could hear. ="If I didn't know better, I'd think that Visor boy is still a little sore at us for 'stealing' Jean."= Yuusuke rolled his eyes with a sigh. ="The bruised male ego at its best. Come on, might as well let him get it out of his system."=  
  
The three demons fell into step behind Scott as the senior strode back in the direction he had come from, a worried Jean walking at his side.  
  
Before they had gone too far, however, Yuusuke turned back and waved jauntily at the three Brotherhood members. "We'll see you three tomorrow. Meet us at The Locker?"  
  
Pietro grinned in response. "We'll be there."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Rogue sighed heavily where she sat perched on the edge of one of the bleachers, watching as the gym students filed onto the field one-by-one. She had a free class this period, and guess were free-period people got to hang out?  
  
The lunchroom or the bleachers.  
  
It just so happened that her free period coincided with one of the student lunch periods (one of the NOISY student lunch periods), and so the only place she could stay with any modicum of comfort was out here.  
  
Prep Central.  
  
Joy.  
  
She sighed, flipping idly through the pages of her literature book, searching for something to read in order to pass the time. She wasn't very impressed with the selection . . . mostly stuffy, ancient stories filled to bursting with metaphors and similes and analogies . . . Not her kind of thing.  
  
She shut the book and braced its spine against her lap, a determined frown upon her face. She released her hold on the front and back covers, allowing the book to flop open to a random page. Her eyes swiftly skimmed the heading at the top of the page.  
  
'Edgar Allen Poe.'  
  
THERE was something she could deal with. Poe's works had always intrigued her, especially those like 'The Raven' or 'Annabelle Lee.'  
  
She flipped through the pages which contained several poems by Poe, searching for one she had never read.  
  
One at last caught her eye, and as she read, all the hairs upon her neck and arms stood on end, a shudder trailing down her spine as though something had pressed icy-cold fingers against the base of her skull . . . though why mere words had such an effect upon her, she didn't know.  
  
Movement caught her eye from near the base of the bleachers, and she picked out the distinctive red hair of Jean and Shuichi amidst a jumble of people whom she soon identified to be Scott, Yuusuke, and Hiei.  
  
Scott was snapping at the three newcomers. From this distance, Rogue couldn't make out words, but the tone carried well enough, and it sounded as though Shades was PISSED. Capital P-I-S-S-E-D.  
  
She set her book down upon the bench after placing a small slip of scratch paper between the pages to mark her spot. That done, she picked her way carefully down the stair-like bleachers, intent on finding out what was going on.  
  
Behind her, sunlight gleamed upon the smooth pages of the book, highlighting the words of the poem.  
  
Alone  
  
by Edgar Allan Poe  
  
From childhood's hour I have not been  
  
As others were; I have not seen  
  
As others saw; I could not bring  
  
My passions from a common spring.  
  
From the same source I have not taken  
  
My sorrow; I could not awaken  
  
My heart to joy at the same tone;  
  
And all I loved, I loved alone.  
  
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn  
  
Of a most stormy life- was drawn  
  
From every depth of good and ill  
  
The mystery which binds me still:  
  
From the torrent, or the fountain,  
  
From the red cliff of the mountain,  
  
From the sun that round me rolled  
  
In its autumn tint of gold,  
  
From the lightning in the sky  
  
As it passed me flying by,  
  
From the thunder and the storm,  
  
And the cloud that took the form  
  
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)  
  
Of a demon in my view.  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
A/N: Well, what do you think? How'd you like the little creepy note on the end? I can't believe I found a poem that fit my expectations so perfectly! I was so happy! . . . and I have many plans for that little poem in upcoming chapters. *evil smirk* Enjoy.  
  
No review responses for this one either . . . It's 12: 35pm and I'm too tired to respond to any right now. Starting next chapter, I'm only answering ten per chapter so that it isn't such a hassle. Later, minna-san! 


	16. First Clue

Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME. AND I OWN NONE OF EDGAR ALLEN POE'S WORKS, GOT IT!?  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect.  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: NO. ROMANCE. WHATSOEVER. NONE. AT ALL. ZIP. ZERO. NADDA. NOTHING. UNDERSTAND?  
  
- : - : - Chapter Fifteen: First Clue - : - : -  
  
To the Tantei, the school week went by with relative swiftness. Even with Scott breathing down their necks due to their newfound friendship with the Brotherhood, the days seemed much shorter than they would have thought --of course, said feeling might have been due to the fact that they attended hardly any classes aside from history (with Kurt, Pietro, and Lance) and gym (with Rogue, Scott, and Jean).  
  
In fact, the Tantei spent the majority of the school day hanging out together with the Brotherhood in the small alleyway that Pietro had showed them on Monday.  
  
Thursday afternoon, however, was an exception.  
  
On that day, the Tantei and Brotherhood were busy 'persuading' the drink and snack machines in one of the back hallways to give donations to the 'Feed the Hungry Juvenile Delinquent Mutants of the World' fund.  
  
Pietro was frowning as his hands moved in a pale blur, attempting to pick the small lock that held the front of the snack machine closed. Lance and Fred stood back to watch, Fred being the more attentive of the two for obvious reasons.  
  
"It's times like this," Pietro muttered absently, "That I REALLY miss Toad."  
  
He was immediately the sole focus of all three demons' attention, the same question showing upon their features.  
  
Lance noted the odd looks that Pietro's comment had drawn. "He's another member of the Brotherhood," he explained simply.  
  
"'Toad' ?" Yuusuke repeated. "You actually call one of your friends 'Toad'?"  
  
Lance shrugged. "Actually, his name is Todd Tolansky. 'Toad' is his mutant name."  
  
Pietro grunted. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, Toad uses his tongue and messes up something inside these things. Really gross to watch, but it gets the job done. Stuff just pours right out of these things, like an avalanche of food."  
  
Kurama looked slightly sickened. "His . . . tongue?"  
  
"That's what I said." Pietro smirked at the red-haired kitsune. "It's about six feet long, kinda' greenish, and slimy. It's why we call him Toad. . . . That, and he can jump like a freakin' grasshopper on steroids."  
  
Kurama sent a disgusted look at the silver-haired mutant before moving away toward one of the windows lining the right side of the hall to peer down at the school grounds from the second-story vantage point. Hiei went with him, his steps making not a whisper of sound.  
  
Yuusuke frowned at Lance. "All right, Shakes, I'm curious . . . What exactly is a frog-mutant supposed to look like? Green and warty?"  
  
Lance laughed. "Green? Yes. Warts? No . . . not yet, anyway. He's short, probably shoulder-height on you or me. Semi-long hair, kinda' greasy, brownish. Big eyes. . . . And he hardly ever stands up straight. His legs are real skinny; they aren't built for standing or walking. He crouches most of the time, like a toad."  
  
"If he's one of your guys, how come he hasn't been around?"  
  
The small grins that had adorned the faces of the three Brotherhood members abruptly disappeared.  
  
Pietro's efforts at the snack machine ceased, and the door creaked open slowly. The young mutant backed away, his expression cold. "Have at it, Fred."  
  
The largest of the mutants moved forward slowly, his attitude one of equal reserve. Even when he started in on the first packages of food, he made an obvious effort to be quiet.  
  
Yuusuke's eyes narrowed at the odd behavior. "What, did he ditch you or something?"  
  
Lance snorted. "We wish we knew."  
  
"He ain't been around for us to ask him," growled Pietro. "Just disappeared about a week ago, and he hasn't been seen since."  
  
Yuusuke instinctively filed away the small tidbit of information away for later. "Have you looked for him?"  
  
"Of course!" Pietro looked offended at the insinuation that they wouldn't have searched for their missing companion.  
  
"We've even sent a message to Magneto," said Lance soberly. "And we usually try our best to NOT draw his attention."  
  
Yuusuke's frown deepened further. "'Magneto' ? You've mentioned him. Did he reply?"  
  
"Not with anything useful." Pietro leaned against a wall and folded his arms over his chest, the fingers of one hand tapping against the opposite bicep. "Basically said that he had his own problems and we should deal with ours like 'true mutants.' Knowing Daddy-Dearest, he'll probably send a flunky to see if there's anything worthwhile going on down here . . . and ignore us."  
  
"He's your father?"  
  
"I believe that I mentioned something of the sort," growled Pietro tersely.  
  
Hiei's voice, dry as ever, interrupted. "Despite how I loathe to interrupt such scintillating conversation, I must ask how well you searched for this companion of yours."  
  
"Well enough," retorted Lance with glare at the black-clad demon's back.  
  
Neither Hiei nor Kurama looked away from the window, their gazes intent upon something on the school grounds below.  
  
"Long, dirty hair," murmured Kurama. "Odd posture. Big eyes. Greenish complexion . . . I have to agree with Hiei. If this boy is who we think he is, I must say that I have very little respect for your skills as detectives."  
  
His interest piqued, Pietro disappeared from sight, reappearing between the two demons, neither of whom so much as twitched at his surprise appearance.  
  
Pietro's gray eyes widened in shock as he gazed down at the two figures below; one was a grown man wearing ratty, torn clothes, and the other . . .  
  
"It's TOAD!"  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurama loped gracefully behind the two remaining Brotherhood members as they ran down the deserted hallways of the school. It was lucky that they were moving at a relatively good pace; by the time any teachers peaked out of their classrooms to discern the cause of loud noises within the halls (read: Fred's thundering footsteps), the culprits were long gone.  
  
Fred and Lance led the way --Pietro had disappeared from sight within a second of spotting the younger Brotherhood member outside the school. Lance was ahead of Fred by a long margin, but Fred, despite his labored breath and fatigued movements, didn't look as though he was going to give up any time soon.  
  
Yuusuke and Hiei jogged lightly behind Kurama, Yuusuke curious about the 'Toad' mutant, Hiei annoyed at the horribly slow pace.  
  
As they burst through the last set of doors standing between them and the outdoors, Kurama's nose was suddenly filled with a scent that he knew all too well.  
  
He slowed abruptly, then stopped, his head raised, drawing in deep breaths of air, his eyes scanning his surroundings.  
  
He sensed more than saw Yuusuke and Hiei appearing to either side of him, their postures equally alert as they saw him tense.  
  
The only other beings in sight were Pietro, Lance, and Fred clustered around the short, skinny boy that Kurama had suspected to be 'Toad,' and another man who was walking away, dressed in clothes that a beggar would have been mortified to wear.  
  
Yuusuke's eyes were narrow as he looked up at the slightly taller demon. ="Talk to me, Kurama."=  
  
="I smell demon."=  
  
Yuusuke's eyes turned immediately to Hiei, who shook his head minutely at the silent query.  
  
="I sense no youki aside from ours,"= said the fire demon softly. ="No shields, either. As far as demons go, we're it."=  
  
Yuusuke nodded curtly, looking back to Kurama. ="What else does your nose tell you?"=  
  
="The scent is strong,"= replied Kurama. ="If not a demon, then a human who has been in its company for a long while. There is something more, as well-- -"= Kurama closed his eyes completely. ="Something from the Makai. There's no mistaking THAT smell."=  
  
Yuusuke smirked. ="Home, sweet home. . . . All right, Fox-boy, who's our guy? 'Toad' or Suspect Number Two?"=  
  
="Two,"= Kurama said shortly, and he set off running after the retreating man, Yuusuke and Hiei hot on his heels.  
  
Pietro and Lance looked up as they passed, confused, but Yuusuke waved them back, and they obeyed, despite their thorough bemusement at the three foreigners' odd behavior.  
  
"Hey, you!" Yuusuke pulled ahead of Kurama and Hiei even as the man paused and turned, a frown crossing his unshaven features. "Yeah, you, wait up!"  
  
The man stopped completely, his eyes lowering. The three demons fanned out as they came to a stop before him.  
  
As usual, Yuusuke took point. "All right, guy, start talking."  
  
The man shifted his weight from foot to foot, never looking up. "Talk?" he asked, sounding much like a confused child. "Talk what?"  
  
Yuusuke blinked. "Yeah . . . talk. What're you doing here?"  
  
"I have nothing for you," he mumbled, curling in upon himself, gazing steadily at the ground. "Nothing for three boys. They gave me nothing. Nothing, not for you, nothing---"  
  
Yuusuke arched an eyebrow. ="THIS guy could be our big break? He's cracked."=  
  
A shudder passed through the man's frame, and he straightened suddenly, gazing into each of the three demons' eyes. ="You speak the Master's tongue?"=  
  
Hiei's hand was around the man's throat in a flash, pressing upward until the man was forced onto his tip-toes in order to breathe. ="How do you know this language?"= snarled the fire-demon. ="Speak while you still have a tongue with which to do so."=  
  
="Did . . . the Master . . . send you?"= Ugly, gray-brown eyes glared down into flaming crimson. ="Does the Master . . . doubt me?"=  
  
="You are a human,"= said Kurama coldly, pressing closer to the captive despite the rancid scent that assaulted his sensitive nose. ="Not even a mutant. A mere human. How can you know this tongue?"=  
  
The man laughed, a harsh, cawing laugh that clawed its way out of his throat like a living thing. ="The Master is very kind."=  
  
Yellow-white energy crackled into existence around the hand Hiei pressed hard against the man's windpipe, and the fire demon hissed in surprise, losing his grip. The man toppled to the ground, scrambling swiftly to his feet and racing away, still laughing.  
  
Hiei's youki spiked, and the air wavered with blistering heat as he glared after the man. ="Low-level,"= he spat, disgusted. ="He had a warding charm from a higher demon, B class at least. Would it make much difference if I merely kill him now? I can burn the evidence."=  
  
="Hiei . . ."= Kurama sent a warning Look toward the smaller demon. ="Don't bother."=  
  
="We didn't get anything from him!"= protested the Jaganshi, still furious.  
  
="No, we do have SOMETHING, at least,"= murmured Kurama in reply. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and held it out toward the other two demons. Hanging from his grip was a small, clear, plastic sac, filled with gray- green dust with a slight, glittery sheen. ="'Two' had it in his pocket. What do you think it is?"=  
  
Hiei glared at the object in question, still disgusted by the fact that his 'prey' had escaped, but the heat was swiftly fading away to more bearable levels. ="Hn."=  
  
="Very helpful, Hiei,"= Kurama said dryly. The kitsune turned emerald-green eyes to Yuusuke. ="My Lord?"=  
  
Yuusuke laughed lightly. ="Hell, how should I know? Fairy dust?"=  
  
Kurama cracked a small smile. ="Who are we to say? It is a clue, at least."=  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : - 


	17. Mall Mayhem, Part One of Two

BIG TIP: If you know for a fact that I've posted a new chapter but the site continually tells you that it doesn't exist, make certain that you are at the URL of where the chapter SHOULD be and type ONE PERIOD at the end of the address and hit enter. It should take you to the page. This trick also works well on those 'site experiencing overload' pages, but sometimes it won't go through.  
  
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Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME. AND I OWN NONE OF EDGAR ALLEN POE'S WORKS, GOT IT!?  
  
Also, most of the kitsune information in this chapter (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : // w w w . comnet . ca / ~ foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm (Do I have to say it again? Copy, paste, remove the spaces and hit enter.). I used some snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.  
  
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IMPORTANT NOTE:  
  
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)  
  
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.  
  
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect.  
  
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech.  
  
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A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.  
  
ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: NO. ROMANCE. WHATSOEVER. NONE. AT ALL. ZIP. ZERO. NADDA. NOTHING. UNDERSTAND?  
  
- : - : - Chapter Sixteen: Mall Mayhem, Part One of Two - : - : -  
  
- : - : - Friday Afternoon - : - : -  
  
No one ever said that the Brotherhood house offered much in the way of entertainment, but on Thursday afternoon, Lance freely admitted to himself that the levels of excitement to be found at 'Home Sweet Home' had sunk to a nearly nonexistent low.  
  
The TV muttered and fizzed to itself over in one corner, the random flashes of pictures across its screen sending the shadows of the living room flickering and dancing with each new image.  
  
Fred lay sprawled in the recliner, a bowl that had once contained ravioli balanced upon his rotund belly, a dribble of red sauce running down one side, mirroring the thin line of drool trickling down the large mutant's chin. His feet were propped up upon the milk crate (topped by one of the more ratty cushions to be found within the house) which was currently acting as an ottoman for the Brotherhood.  
  
Lance was seated upon the couch at the opposite end of the room, a small pile of rubber bands on the couch cushion beside him. At the moment, one such rubber band was stretched tautly between his two hands, one end looped over his thumb and the other pinched between the index finger and thumb of his other hand.  
  
The seismically inclined mutant sighted along the length of the rubber band, looking toward his target, released a short breath, and fired.  
  
The small projectile slapped against the bare sole of Fred's foot, which twitched in response.  
  
This was not one of his more original games. Aim for Freddy's foot. If the rubber band made contact, one point. One additional point for each time Fred's foot twitched. Each time Fred snorted or mumbled in response to a hit, it meant a negative point. If Fred woke up, automatic Game Over.  
  
His current score: three-hundred and seventy-nine.  
  
In other words, Lance was seriously considering going to stand in the middle of a street and wait for a car to come through; then at least SOMETHING exciting would happen.  
  
Pietro was probably already doing something of the sort; the silver-haired mutant had a bad habit of playing chicken with vehicles on secluded, back highways. It had annoyed Mystique to no end when Pietro had singled out HER car as one of his targets.  
  
There had been no talking to her for a week after that. Lance was pretty certain that Toad had opted to exit through the second story window of his bedroom in the mornings rather than try to get breakfast from the kitchen and chance running into Mystique.  
  
Lord, forget the name 'Mystique.' The blue-skinned woman should have called herself 'Banshee.'  
  
Lance sighed and picked up another rubber band, stretching it between his hands, a meditative frown upon his face.  
  
One would think that things would have livened up a bit with Toad back home, but instead, it seemed as though things were actually more BORING.  
  
Ever since Kurama had spotted the youngest Brotherhood member on school campus and Lance, Pietro and Fred had confronted the prodigal mutant, Toad hadn't been acting . . . well, Toad-ish.  
  
- : - : - Flashback - : - : -  
  
Pietro was already pelting Toad with rapid-fire questions by the time Lance and Fred managed to reach the pair of mutants. Lance noticed that Yuusuke, Shuichi, and Hiei had stopped just outside of the doors and were talking quietly amongst themselves, but Lance had thoughts only for Todd.  
  
"Where have you BEEN?" he demanded as soon as Pietro stopped for breath. "Who's that guy you were with? Are you okay?"  
  
Toad backed away slightly, looking defensive. "Hey, yo, back off, ya'll. I was off doing somethin' for Lady-Blue, 'at's all."  
  
Lance was distracted momentarily as Yuusuke, Hiei and Shuichi ran past, apparently going after the strange guy that had been with Todd. Pietro looked as though he might follow, but Yuusuke turned slightly as he ran and waved the silver-haired mutant back. Pietro frowned, but obeyed, turning his attention back to Toad, but his gray eyes continually darted toward the three new mutants until they disappeared from sight around the corner of the building.  
  
Pietro frowned down at the youngest member of the Brotherhood. "Yeah, whatever, Frog-boy, but who's the bum that was with you?"  
  
Toad scowled petulantly. "Ain't any o' your business, yo. Confidential stuff, straight from the boss-man."  
  
Pietro scoffed. "Since when do you hop solo?"  
  
Toad grinned, his yellow-ish eyes narrowing. "Since a week ago, Streak; ain't you been payin' 'tention?"  
  
With that, the young mutant dropped into his typical crouch and hopped away from the group, toward the school, soon disappearing inside.  
  
Fred frowned, perplexed. "That was . . . weird."  
  
Lance's eyes were narrowed in deep thought. "Looks like Toad's gone through some changes."  
  
Pietro scowled darkly. "THAT," he growled, "is NOT Toad."  
  
"It looks like him, though," protested Fred. "Smells like him, too."  
  
"Ha." Pietro sneered derisively. "Magneto NEVER assigns solos to the 'lower mutants' like us; too much 'margin for error' . . . Something smells rotten, and for once it isn't Frog-boy's armpits."  
  
- : - : - End Flashback - : - : -  
  
Lance jerked in surprise as the object of his musing hopped through the living room door. Toad paused, crouching in his typical fashion, and looked around, smirking when his gaze fell upon the rubber bands littering the 'ottoman' beneath Fred's feet and the matching rubber band stretched between Lance's fingers, ready to be fired.  
  
The frog-mutant tilted his head to one side. "Creative."  
  
With that, he hopped back the way he had come, disappearing upstairs.  
  
Lance blinked. Not even a 'yo'? He found himself beginning to agree with Pietro.  
  
Toad not saying 'yo' was like . . . well, Kitty not saying 'like.' It just didn't happen.  
  
There was definitely something wrong with Toad.  
  
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"But, PROFESSOR---!"  
  
Xavier turned a stern, admonishing gaze upon Kitty from where he sat behind his desk. "I see no reason for you to interfere."  
  
Kitty frowned. "But have you SEEN them? It's, like, complete and total DISASTER."  
  
"They've been here for almost a week, Kitty. They seem to have survived thus far without interference on our parts."  
  
"Imagine what other people are going to think! They ARE our responsibility now, you know."  
  
Xavier sighed. "Kitty . . ." He trailed off, uncertain of what to say. She DID have a point.  
  
"They're students of the Institute," Kitty continued. "THEY reflect upon US. Almost everyone agrees with me. There's, like, Jean, Rahne, Storm, Jubilee, Amara . . . even ROGUE . . . in her own creepy, Gothic sort of way."  
  
Xavier sighed, reaching up to massage his temples. "Kitty, I HIGHLY doubt that they will appreciate ANYONE butting in on their business. They seem to be very private people."  
  
"Come on, Professor!" Kitty turned pleading eyes upon the older man. "It doesn't have to be, like, an INTERVENTION. Consider it a 'Welcome to the Institute' treat!"  
  
The professor sighed once more, this time in defeat. "Very well. I'll alert Ororo. You can see her for . . . what you'll need. Do TRY to restrain yourself somewhat."  
  
Kitty beamed. "Sure thing!" she chirped. "You can count on me!"  
  
Xavier watched the girl leave with no small amount of apprehension showing upon his face.  
  
He shook off the feeling with some effort, and he sent a tendril of his consciousness out of his body, down through the several floors that separated him from the large laboratory that Hank had claimed as his own.  
  
~:Hank?:~  
  
For a short moment, he had a glimpse of a computer, its screen filled with small-sized text, and a pair of large, blue-furred hands dancing across the keyboard . . . before his eyes saw only his office once more.  
  
~:Ah, there you are, Charles. I was wondering when you would check in.:~ The scientist's mind-voice was colored with slight amusement, but there was something else beneath the surface, some suppressed excitement which intrigued Xavier greatly.  
  
~:Any progress identifying our intruder?:~  
  
~:Not the intruder itself, but there is a WEALTH of information on Logan's 'kitsune' creatures. It's all very fascinating.:~  
  
~:Enlighten me.:~  
  
~:To start off, in legends they are portrayed as anything from gods to saints to imps to demons. They appear in large part to be mostly amoral. Some people seem to respect them highly, sometimes to the point of worship, while others view them as either annoying pests or horrible monsters that enjoy playing games with people's lives for the mere fun of it.:~  
  
Xavier felt the slightest twinge of amusement. ~:I do hope that our 'kitsune' is not of the latter persuasion. What else?:~  
  
~:Well, what Logan told us. Increased age means increased power, increased power means more tails. Nine is the maximum. They can have command of one of thirteen elements, such as light, dark, wind, fire, water, and so on, and it seems that they can change shape at will. Also, coat color factors in: most kitsune are colored like normal foxes. Those with silver or golden coats are either very old or very powerful.:~  
  
Xavier frowned, closing his eyes in thought. ~:If this creature truly IS a kitsune, then which would it be? Old . . . or powerful?:~  
  
Hank chuckled. ~:If I might say so, Charles, I would probably bet on both. In other legends I have encountered, they speak of another world where supernatural beings --demons, if you will, and that includes kitsune-- reign supreme. In order to survive for any significant amount of time, one must be resourceful AND powerful. If tails are gained through power, then it would take a long while to gain such power, and if they are gained through age, then one must gain more power to survive long enough. Sort of a chicken-or-the-egg concept, if you will.:~  
  
~:Hmm. You haven't happened to come across any legends about silver kitsune, have you?:~  
  
Ah, there was the source of that excitement. Xavier could feel the emotion coming to the fore as Hank began his explanation.  
  
~:One, and only a snippet at that. It's a short clip from an ancient Japanese text. The text itself was damaged in a fire, so there's only a short bit of a legend. It speaks of a kitsune possessed of a silver coat and multiple tales. He was a renowned thief in the alternate world of which I spoke, and many of the demons feared his name. He was said to be ruthless in battle. The only name given is The Youko. Intriguing, isn't it?:~  
  
Xavier nodded absently, despite the fact that Hank couldn't see the gesture. ~:Very. Is there anything else?:~  
  
~:Not right now. Nothing of importance, anyway.:~  
  
~:Very well. I'll tell Logan and Ororo what you found. Perhaps they'll have some suggestions.:~  
  
~:Will you tell the students?:~  
  
~:Yes. Tomorrow afternoon. It's when we plan to introduce Yuusuke, Shuichi, and Hiei to the . . . extracurricular exploits . . . of the X-men, and it's also when I plan to explain Shadow Tempest to the students in detail. They'll need to know.:~  
  
~:That's bound to go over well; a new enemy for them to exhaust themselves training for. Break it to them gently, won't you, Charles? . . . Speaking of the three new ones, they still have yet to come in for physicals. I'm itching to know how Yuusuke's abilities work.:~  
  
~:Yes, and we have to break YOU to them gently as well. Perhaps after training tomorrow.:~  
  
~:I could probably squeeze them in today.:~  
  
Xavier grimaced at the reminder of the afternoon's 'activities' for the three new students. ~:They're busy this afternoon.:~  
  
Curiosity sparked within Hank. ~:Busy? I thought today was 'no-training' for the students.:~  
  
~:It is, but Kitty insisted that I allow her and the other girls to take them out for the afternoon.:~  
  
~:Doing what?:~  
  
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Hiei glared blackly at the massive hordes of humans milling around him in all directions, filling every inch of the 'mall' with their noise.  
  
The small-statured demon glanced up at the ever-calm presence of Kurama at his side. ="Tell me again, fox, how did we get dragged into this concrete hell?"=  
  
Kurama sighed softly . . . almost too softly to be heard over the veritable roar of voices which assaulted them from all sides. When he spoke, it was with slight irritation coloring his tone. ="Because both you and Yuusuke felt that less than three changes of clothes would suffice for this mission, and apparently Kitty --along with several other students-- refuses to be associated with us until you own something, and I quote, 'like, decent.' "=  
  
Hiei sneered. ="Idiots."=  
  
Kurama sent a quelling glare down at his companion. ="Hiei, I have to agree with them on this. Wearing THAT to a human school is NOT a way to blend in with the locals."=  
  
Hiei glanced down at his own clothes before he could stop himself. He was clad in his normal black ensemble, complete with cloak and white scarf --as well as his katana, but that was hidden deep within the folds of black cloth, well away from prying eyes.  
  
Quite frankly, he could see nothing wrong with the outfit. It had served him for over . . . well, he had lost count, but several centuries at least.  
  
Of course, he had to admit that he WAS drawing odd looks from the natives.  
  
He snorted in disgust.  
  
Ch. Humans.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
It was a simple fact of life: all males had an innate fear of the word 'shopping,' especially when said word was used together in a sentence with the word 'woman,' 'girl,' or 'female.'  
  
Thus, when Kitty had found Kurt and Yuusuke training in the Institute gym -- where Yuusuke was busy giving the fuzzy, blue mutant a crash course in martial arts-- and informed them of the afternoon's itinerary, the two boys had merely been following instinct when they had tried to make a break for it.  
  
They hadn't counted on being cornered by Rahne (in wolf form), Jubilee (sparks ready and flying from her fingers in a definite, threatening fashion), and Rogue (who clearly intended to milk the experience for all the entertainment it was worth and was bound and determined that the victi-- er, guests of honor not be absent).  
  
In all honesty, the girls had only been interested in 'acquiring' Yuusuke, but the raven-haired foreigner had insisted --read: threatened bodily harm to anyone who disagreed with him-- that the blue-furred mutant tag along.  
  
Misery loves company, and whatnot.  
  
Jean had been the one to go after Shuichi. She considered him to be the most mature and levelheaded of the lot, and so she had merely explained the situation to the red-haired foreigner. They had discussed things like rational adults, and Shuichi had readily agreed.  
  
Since none of the girls had felt up to the task of convincing Hiei, that task had been delegated to Shuichi. No one knew how he did it, but somehow the redhead had managed to convince Hiei to come . . . without any blood being shed.  
  
Who said that miracles didn't happen?  
  
With Jean driving the Institute's black van --having acquired the keys from Logan-- and Kitty keeping an iron grip on the group's credit card --given to her by Storm, as per the Professor's orders--, the students had set out for Bayville Mall. In all, the group consisted of Yuusuke, Hiei, Shuichi, Kitty, Jean, Rogue, Rahne, and Jubilee.  
  
Needless to say, it was quite a squeeze. Kitty had sat in the very back (behind Yuusuke, Hiei and Shuichi) while Jean and Rogue took the driver and passenger seats up front. To save everyone from extra bruising, Kitty had phased herself, Rahne, and Jubilee so that they could all sprawl wherever they wished without injuring any of the car's other occupants. There HAD been an incident with Rahne sticking her head out of the car (literally), but it had been rectified swiftly thanks to Kitty's intervention.  
  
It had been an . . . interesting . . . ride.  
  
In short, all of the passengers shared one thought upon arrival at their destination:  
  
Thank god it was over.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kitty was in her element. With Jubilee flanking her on one side and Rahne on the other, she chattered happily about The List of Things-To-Be-Done.  
  
"---There's that awesome place down on the other end of this hall with great summer clothes. Those three DEFINITELY need some light stuff to wear. Hmm . . . and what about shoes? Are there any sales today? Did either of you check?" She laughed, blushing slightly. "I, like, completely forgot."  
  
"Hah!" Jubilee grinned broadly. "Shame, shame! Shopping Queen is losing her touch!"  
  
Rahne chuckled slightly as well. "Ach, dinna' be pickin' on her too badly, now, Jube. She jus' be excited to be dressin' the laddies like her own life- size dolls, d'ya ken?"  
  
Jean appeared suddenly on Rahne's other side, smiling. "She's got you pegged, Kitty."  
  
"Oh, hush, you!" Kitty swatted playfully at both Jubilee and Rahne. "You're horrible, the both of you!"  
  
"D'ye no mean the three o' us?" queried Rahne innocently.  
  
That earned her an extra swat from Kitty.  
  
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"And this! And this, and this! And --oh! DEFINITELY that!"  
  
Shirts and pants and jackets and sweaters piled themselves higher and higher in Yuusuke's arms as he was double-teamed by Jubilee and Rahne. He nearly choked when the wolf-girl came up holding several pairs of boxer shorts in one hand, grinning broadly.  
  
"An' here's jus' what any good lad needs, no? Here ye go." She added the shorts with a flourish to his already significant pile of clothing before disappearing back into the 'SALE' racks like a fish disappearing into the ocean.  
  
Yuusuke had come to a conclusion regarding the female mutants from the Institute: they all, one way or another, had to be related to Genkai. There was no way that they could have devised this torture without a little of the Grandma's blood running through them.  
  
Had it not been for his greater-than-average strength, his spine probably would have telescoped in on itself long ago. As things stood now, he had to crane his neck to see anything at all over the vast amounts of clothing in his arms, and he didn't dare move a single foot lest he trip on some unseen obstacle.  
  
Kurama stood silently beside him, placidly holding his own burden of clothing which, if anything, was larger than Yuusuke's own. Forget double- teamed; Kurama was being split between the entire group of girls as a five- way dress-up doll.  
  
There was a muted snarl behind him, and Yuusuke twisted his neck around just enough . . . to see Hiei.  
  
Or, at least, what he assumed was Hiei. In all honesty, it looked like a large, multicolored ball of denim, cotton and polyester set precariously atop a pair of diminutive, black-clad legs.  
  
Yuusuke groaned as Jubilee appeared and added three shirts, four pairs of shorts, and a pair of loafers --Loafers?! What made her think that he would ever wear LOAFERS!?-- to his own pile before disappearing once more.  
  
"It's official," mumbled Yuusuke. "I have died and gone to hell."  
  
"YOU!? Vhat about ME?"  
  
Yuusuke turned to see a pair of blue eyes peering at him from over a pile of lacy shirts, denim skirts, peasant tops, and --dare he say it?-- even a bra or two.  
  
"At least YOU three get to hold MEN'S clothing!" continued Kurt vehemently. "I'M stuck as the ladies-vear rack!"  
  
Kitty appeared from between two shelves of shoes to perch a pair of high heels atop Kurt's pile. "Oh, shut it, fuzzy. It's not that bad."  
  
Kurt glared at the cause of his current misery. "Do I take YOU vith ME to pick out undervear!? Vhy can't you just pile this stuff on the floor somevhere?"  
  
Kitty looked offended. "God, Kurt, don't you know ANYTHING about shopping? That would be, like, practically BEGGING other people to root through our stuff! This way, nobody messes with our choices."  
  
Kurama looked oddly resigned to his fate, but asked, "Just how much of this do you actually plan to buy?"  
  
"Well, it depends." Kitty 'hm'ed to herself thoughtfully and began to tick things off on her fingers. "We have to try everything on, and then, like, get each other's opinions and check out different outfits. We might have to swap sizes once or twice . . . If something's a bit overpriced, then we'll check out other stores and compare prices . . ."  
  
Yuusuke heard Kurama groan softly, and he agreed wholeheartedly.  
  
There was an odd sounding 'whumph' somewhere behind him, and he turned to see a pile of discarded clothing upon the floor . . . clothing that had previously been held by a certain small-statured fire demon.  
  
"Hey!" Kitty glared in the direction that Hiei had run in, toward the front of the store. "Get back here!"  
  
Yuusuke found himself grinning for the first time since entering the store. "Way to go, Hiei!"  
  
Kitty 'hmphed' to herself, her hands braced on her hips. "Darn it. We'll have to split his load now." She went over to Hiei's pile and began to gather up the scattered clothes, placing them atop Kurama's and Yuusuke's own armfuls, adding to the weight of each pile by at least a fourth, if not a third, of what they had previously held. "There . . . and you two'll have to help us decide what to get him as well. We can't, like, forget about him, now, can we?"  
  
Yuusuke groaned and leaned his head against the sizeable stack of clothing he held, his previous euphoria completely forgotten. "Damn you, Jaganshi . . ."  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
10 REVIEW RESPONSES:  
  
: Takahashi Shuurin : Hello again! Sorry about Fido. He's a little overprotective. No, I've never heard of 'John Donne.' Sorry I can't help. Yes, I LOVE "The Raven"! It's my favorite poem in the whole world. I've been trying to memorize it (FAILING so far, but still trying, nonetheless). I love the meter he has going in the middle of each verse: "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, / Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before . . . " My favorite line. ^_^ Yeah, you must really think that I'm nuts now. . . . It would be funny if the Tantei's homework managed to get in the way, wouldn't it? Kurama: "We are greatly sorry, Koenma, but we couldn't finish our Geometry homework AND stop Kurorashi from destroying the Ningenkai as well!"  
  
: Gemini Star 1 : I don't know any sites off the top of my head. Why not just go to yahoo and search for 'X-men Evolution' under images? Or even 'X- men uniform.' Are you giving them full-fledged X-men outfits or trainee suits? Right now, the Tantei have only worn their trainee suits, but they'll get their own uniforms in a short while. Yes, Kurama will call himself Kurama, but I thought that only 'Kura' meant 'storehouse,' not 'Kurama.' *shrugs* Meh. Whatever. About the grade-levels: I'm doing the best I can there. I actually do background research for my stories. If I'm uncertain, I look up the answers on the internet. I've looked over several X-men sites, and the site that seemed to be the most accurate gave those grade levels (except for Jean's, which I tweaked a bit due to opposition from my readers. -_-; ).  
  
: Mistress of Dragons : Oh, lordy. Wisdom teeth? *winces* You poor thing! But congrats on finishing your story. I might check it out if I get this chapter finished quickly enough (if I can't think of what to write, I go ahead and do review responses, which is the situation right now. -_-; I hate writer's block. Blech.). Just to let you know, you're pretty close on a couple of your guesses, but you'll just have to wait and see which ones I mean!  
  
: Queen of Roses (previously TCOD) : No, I wasn't sick. At least, not within the past month. I was just uberly busy (I'm a late Christmas shopper. I've got the bruises to prove it. *shows a shoeprint-shaped bruise on the back of one shoulder* *grumbles* Stupid shopping maniacs with their stupid rabid temperaments and their stupid tasers and their stupid steel- toe shopping boots . . . ). Anyway, if I have anything to say about it, this story will be nice and obedient and turn out nicely. If it doesn't, I'll just revise it. (PS- I like your new name.)  
  
: YYHgurl : I'm happy that your sister liked it. I love to here about people recommending my story to other people. It gives me warm, fuzzy feelings. Also, it turns out that I HAVE read Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. My mom and I went to a bookstore and I looked her up out of curiosity. I've read In the Forests of the Night (I also love that poem, "Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright." Uberness!) and it was really good. I've vowed to look up some other books by her and read them.  
  
: ~*CLS*~ : Yeah, well, you get a review response anyway. I've pretty much decided on names now, but thanks for the offer. As for the 'wonderful chapters' . . . *blushes* Well, I write when I feel inspired, and if I don't feel inspired, I listen to my anime soundtracks and watch anime until I DO feel inspired. I'm glad that you think they're wonderful, though. Uber!  
  
: Millie M. Banshee : Well . . . wow. Just wow. *blushes* I think that's one of the nicest reviews I've EVER gotten (and considering that I have *glances at review counter* eight-hundred and sixty-one ---er, sixty-two, now-- that's pretty good!). Your review gave me warm fuzzies! I hope you liked this update!  
  
: Dragon Scythe : I think that the picture-shrinking dealie IS an XP thing. Lord knows, '96 never did that for me. As far as your other questions go, I have no idea when the next movie is coming out, but I hope it's soon! ^_^ And the only X-men sites that I visit tend toward episode guides and character profiles for Evo. Is that what your looking for?  
  
: Wildfire's Flame : BTW, love your screen name. Thanks for your awesome review, I'm glad you liked the story so much! Is this posting soon enough for you? I'm trying to get them out quickly, but I've had some problems with the dreaded Writer's Block Monster. -_-; I hope he moves on to someone else soon. Having him sit by my computer all day is annoying.  
  
: Wood Nymph : Believe me, I'm trying. 


	18. Mall Mayhem, Part Two of Two

Sorry for the EXTREMELY long hiatus, but my family encountered a swathe of computer trouble. First the internet was screwed up and then it took forever to get someone to fix it (how can any company that makes computers that work so fast have workers that are SO DARN SLOW??!!??!!).  
  
Add in a visit from the Writers-Block gremlin, stir simmering for fifteen minutes, and you have the perfect recipe for an MIA authoress!  
  
*deep breath*  
  
Thank you all for your patience.  
  
So . . . yeah., I'm back now! *throws confetti* All cry hallelujah and rejoice!  
  
(I apologize in advance for any spelling errors, but I just managed to finish and my mom is telling me to go to bed, so I don't have time to proofread. I'll check it tomorrow and fix it when I have time.)  
  
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Some people were curious about the fact that I had reviews for Ch. 18 when it wasn't posted yet. Answer: as per the latest rules posted on the main page of ff.net, I have removed the A/N chapter at the beginning of the story, so now all the numbers have been scooted back one. Kapish?  
  
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Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME. AND I OWN NONE OF EDGAR ALLEN POE'S WORKS, GOT IT!?  
  
Also, most of the kitsune information in this chapter (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : // w w w . comnet . ca / ~ foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm (Do I have to say it again? Copy, paste, remove the spaces and hit enter.). I used some snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.  
  
- : - : - Chapter Seventeen: Mall Mayhem, Part Two of Two - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke grumbled mutinously as yet another article was added to the sizeable clusters dangling from both of his arms. The group of shoppers -- now, since Hiei had deserted, consisting of Yuusuke, Kurama, Kurt, Kitty, Rahne, Jean, Jubilee and Rogue-- were scattered throughout yet another clothing store (the fourth one that day). Yuusuke and Kurama stood placidly beside the doors leading to the changing rooms, waiting while the girls gathered up a new batch of clothing for them to try on. Kurt had, unfortunately, been accosted by Jubilee on her way to the women's wear section, doomed to act as her own, personal, two-legged shopping-cart.  
  
Yuusuke glared at Rahne's back as the disappeared back into the racks of merchandise in search of more 'bargains.' ="Kurama, tell me: if we came here to shop for clothes for you, me and Hiei, then why in the seven hells are there tube-tops and high-heels in some of these bags?"=  
  
Kurama allowed himself a barely discernable grimace before composing his expression into one of polite neutrality. ="You've never gone shopping with Keiko before, have you?"=  
  
="No."=  
  
Kurama shifted his own burden of boxes and bags carefully, attempting to work some of the stiffness out of his arms without unbalancing the precariously stacked packages. ="Then listen carefully: never, under any circumstances, give females access to a sizeable cache of wealth and a near- limitless shopping ground at the same time. It is comparable to leaving Kuwabara in a pet store . . . only more detrimental to your financial backing."=  
  
Yuusuke arched an eyebrow, glancing over at the red-haired kitsune-turned- human. ="You sound like you're talking from experience."=  
  
A slow smirk stretched across Kurama's features, making him look far more like his legendary persona of Youko Kurama. ="I have survived for longer than most demons could dream, Yuusuke. Surely you don't think that I lived for so long without . . . companionship?"=  
  
Yuusuke choked, his eyes widening, before coughing to clear his throat. ="Gods, Kurama, do I LOOK like I want to hear stuff like that from you?"=  
  
Kurama chuckled. ="What do you expect?"=  
  
="A small bit of tact, maybe?"= Yuusuke paused suddenly, turning to level a suspicious glance at the taller boy. ="Hold on; let me guess. Tonight's the full moon?"=  
  
="Indeed."=  
  
="I KNEW you were acting more Youko-ish than normal."=  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Rogue sneered at the frilly, flower-patterned peasant blouse that Kitty held up for her inspection. "There's no way in heaven or hell that Ah'm wearing one of those."  
  
Kitty frowned, looking miffed. "Like, hello? It's the latest style."  
  
"During the Renaissance, maybe."  
  
"You'd so totally look good in it, though. A pair of faded jeans and, like, maybe some sandals and . . . Voila!"  
  
Rogue folded her arms across her chest. "What have Ah ever worn that makes you think Ah would wear somethin' like THAT?"  
  
"Um . . ."  
  
Rogue's eyes narrowed as she felt a small sense of satisfaction. Kitty Pryde, chatterbox extraordinaire . . . at a loss for words. "Mah point exactly."  
  
Kitty huffed irritably. "Well, be that way, then." She returned the blouse. "Good grief, Rogue, what's the point of, like, going to a mall if you're not going to shop?"  
  
Rogue shrugged eloquently. "What else was Ah goin' t'do? Ah don't like shopping or anythin', but it beats the alternative of mopin' around the Institute ."  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes, sighing. "God, you don't have to be so PERKY all the time." She picked up another blouse, this one a brilliant shade of lime green with a band of pink flowers across the chest., and held it against her body, frowning meditatively.  
  
Rogue grimaced, wondering if it was possible to go blind just by looking at such bright colors. "Ah'm outta' here. Ah'll meet ya'll at the food court for dinner around six, all right?"  
  
"Fine." Kitty put the blouse back on the rack, much to Rogue's relief. "I'll give the other's a heads-up. Hey, do me a favor?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"See if you can spot Hiei, could you? We've bought some stuff, but it isn't the same without seeing the clothes ON him."  
  
Rogue winced mentally. She had been on the receiving end of Kitty's fashion advice before; it was NOT fun. But . . . hey. At least it wasn't HER standing over by the changing rooms.  
  
"Ah'll see what Ah can do."  
  
- : - : - An Hour and a Half Later - : - : -  
  
Sigh. Blink. Shuffle. Glare. Sigh. Grumble. Glare. Sigh.  
  
"For god's sake, Blue, would you knock it off already!?"  
  
Kurt blinked, turning his eyes toward Yuusuke. "Vas [1]? Vhat am I doing?"  
  
The raven-haired boy arched one eyebrow sardonically. "Aside from trying to rub a hole in the carpet with your feet?"  
  
The blue-haired boy huffed irritably. "I'm BORED."  
  
Yuusuke grinned in response. "Well, you COULD have bamphed us both away from the girls when you had the chance, but NO, you had to play scaredy- mutant."  
  
Kurt glowered, feeling his fur prickling beneath the hologram as he shivered. "Have you ever seen Kitty vhen she's mad? It's not pretty, especially vhen said anger is directed at ME."  
  
Yuusuke's grin broadened, and he laughed. One his other side, Kurt could see Shuichi chuckling softly as well . "Sounds like Keiko."  
  
Kurt blinked, frowning. "'Kay-koh'?"  
  
Yuusuke looked smug. "My girlfriend. Ukimura Keiko . . . or Keiko Ukimura to all of you backwards English-speakers."  
  
Shuichi murmured something that Kurt couldn't understand --something in that strange, growling, hissing language of theirs-- and Yuusuke snickered merrily before replying the same way. Kurt felt decidedly left out and kicked idly at one of the piles of bags/clothing/shoes lying on the floor by the wall, resulting in a satisfying 'whumph' sound.  
  
"That is SO not fair," he grumbled.  
  
Shuichi's eyes immediately focused upon Kurt's face. "Pardon?"  
  
"It's like the both of you have some sort of secret society that no-vone else can get into!"  
  
Shuichi and Yuusuke exchanged a glance. Shuichi was the one to reply, calm and unruffled as always. "What makes you say that?"  
  
Kurt frowned. "You're alvays talking in that langvage of yours, and you von't tell anyvone vhat it is! None of us ever have a clue vhat you're saying."  
  
Yuusuke looked thoughtful. "It's kinda' hard to explain. It's . . . a rare dialect, you might say."  
  
Kurt could hardly believe it; it sounded as though he were actually about to get some answers from a member of the mysterious trio. "Vhere did you learn it, then?"  
  
Shuichi stepped in. "Yuusuke picked it up a little before he began training with Genkai [2], a martial-arts master. Hiei and I learned far earlier."  
  
Kurt's curiosity was fully aroused. "Vould it be possible for me to learn?"  
  
"Why would you want to?" asked Yuusuke.  
  
Kurt grinned broadly. "All of the guy's at the Institute are betting on vhat langvage it is. Since you von't tell anyvone vhat it is, it vould put me vone up on them, nein?" He did his best 'I'm-so-CUTE,-how-can-you- POSSIBLY-refuse-me?' look.  
  
Unfortunately, it seemed as though both Shuichi and Yuusuke were both immune to his famous pleading expression. Shuichi merely smiled and shook his head.  
  
"I don't think it wise. It is hard to get the pronunciation of most of the words correct."  
  
Yuusuke nodded in agreement. "Not to mention the minor differences in lots of the definitions."  
  
Kurt blinked. "Vhat?"  
  
"Ah . . . How can I explain?"Yuusuke folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall. "Hmm . . . how many words for 'kill' are there in English?"  
  
"Uh . . ." Kurt rubbed the back of his neck while he thought, not really seeing the relevance. "Vell . . . not many. I mean, kill, murder, execute. Maybe a couple more."  
  
"The language we speak," Shuichi began, "is a language spoken by fighters. Can you guess how many words for 'kill' are a part of it?"  
  
Kurt frowned. ". . . eight?"  
  
Yuusuke snorted, smirking. "Try over twenty."  
  
"Vas!?"  
  
Yuusuke began to tick off definitions on his fingers. "There's plain 'kill,' then there's to kill as an assassin, to kill for sport or fun, kill for food, torture to death, to kill with a blade, to kill from afar --as with a bow--, to kill through poison, kill in revenge, kill by mistake, kill in anger, mercy killing --also known as putting someone out of their misery--, to kill a brother or sister, to kill a parent, kill a distant cousin or uncle or other extended family member, to kill for love, to kill while in bloodlust, to kill someone to acquire power, to kill to acquire wealth, to kill to acquire land or territory, to kill to acquire power, wealth AND territory, to kill in order to protect something or someone, to kill in self-defense, to kill just for the heck of it, to kill something for the mere reason that it's an annoyance . . ." He glanced idly at Shuichi. "Am I missing any?"  
  
"/Azhglav/."  
  
"Yeah, there you go. To kill oneself. Suicide. Suicide for love, suicide in sorrow, suicide in spite, and probably more that I can't remember . . . Get our point, blue?"  
  
Kurt swallowed audibly. "Yah."  
  
There was silence for a short moment.  
  
Yuusuke shrugged slightly. "If it helps any, all we were talking about was how Keiko could sometimes be . . . temperamental. Shuichi compared her to a demoness."  
  
"Which is really quite apt," murmured Shuichi. "She's one of the few people that Yuusuke has ever actually been afraid of."  
  
Yuusuke grinned at his red-haired companion. "Damn straight."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Hiei had never known that humans could generate such noise. Even on his perch among the metal rafters crisscrossing the high, vaulted ceilings of the mall hallways, he could feel the omnipresent rumble of combined human voices vibrating the thick beam of steel beneath his boots. He didn't bother to attempt to sort through the various sounds; it would have been nigh onto impossible to pick out any one conversation amidst the jumble, and so he contented himself with allowing his eyes to trail over the river of movement and color beneath him.  
  
He had --instinctively-- traveled far away from the store which had become temporary prison to the Reikai Tantei. Now he was nearer to the end of the mall containing the exit to the parking garage . . . near where the girls had first brought the boys inside.  
  
Ch. Boring. The most exciting thing he had seen thus far was two boys bickering incessantly over a small bag of candy, causing their mother no small amount of irritation and exasperation.  
  
A flash of red and white hair caught his eye, and his gaze was drawn to the lone figure of one of the girls from the Institute --he was relatively certain her name was Rogue--, weaving her way through the thick crowds clogging the hallway. Idly, he followed above her, flitting from rafter to rafter, wondering idly at her history. She was a loner from the other students of the Institute. usually preferring her own company to that of others. Hiei was reminded vaguely of himself.  
  
He pondered upon this silently, also wondering exactly what her power could be. He suspected that it might have something to do with touch. Hiei was nothing if not observant, and he had seen how she was forever avoiding skin- to-skin contact with any other human, even going as far as wearing long- sleeved shirts as much as possible and covering her hands with gloves. Perhaps . . .  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by a faint buzz of energy tickling at his sense, so faint that he could have overlooked it completely . . . had it not been so near to his current position.  
  
He leapt to his next foothold and dropped into a crouch, extending his senses as to their fullest, attempting to home in on the strange energy.  
  
It was not reiki, nor meiki, nor seikouki [3] . . . That left youki, but the amount of energy he could sense was not enough to support even the weakest of Lesser E-class demons.  
  
Reaching up, he tugged lightly on his bandana, pulling it just the barest centimeter away from the skin of his forehead, allowing his Jagan to open the smallest crack.  
  
With the added power of his Jagan, it was a simple matter to pinpoint the entity giving off the odd energy signal: a lone human, a female sitting comfortably on a mall bench. Momentarily, he wished that he was closer so that he could examine her scent: the sole way to know the difference between a mutant and a normal human was through scent, and if she possessed the powers of a mutant, it would be better to be forewarned.  
  
Hiei opened his Jagan wider, keeping his power-level low enough to be nigh onto unnoticeable, seeking to gain more information, but his attention was drawn back to Rogue as he became aware of the emotions of surprise and fear that swirled around her.  
  
She was surrounded by four humans, all of them adolescent males.  
  
Four humans who were now pressing near to Rogue, herding her toward the side-hallway that Hiei knew led toward the parking garage, a place that was certain to be nigh onto completely deserted.  
  
Had he been human, Hiei might have sighed. Things were never simple when it had anything even REMOTELY to do with Koenma or a mission for the Reikai Tantei.  
  
However, he was a demon, an A-class, and a Jaganshi as well. He snarled and glared, threatened and fought, decapitated and dismembered, but he did NOT sigh.  
  
He settled for an irritated snort instead.  
  
Now, what to choose? Follow the not-demon woman sitting below, or to go and play hero for the girl?  
  
He sneered.  
  
Damn the Toushin and his cavalier, 'save-the-day' attitude anyway . . .  
  
With a feeling of resignation, he flickered out of sight, leaping down from among the rafters and darting down the hallway to follow behind the four humans and Rogue, raising his youki levels more than enough to handle the four weaklings he hunted.  
  
. . . And damn himself twice over for allowing the Detective's heroic tendencies to rub off on him . . .  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
The hairs along Kurama's neck prickled even as he felt Hiei's youki flare a short distance away. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yuusuke's stiff posture and closed, alert expression, a sure sign that the dark- haired boy had felt Hiei's energy raise as well.  
  
="Yuusuke?"=  
  
="I feel it, Kurama. Are you sensing anything else?"=  
  
="No, though that's not saying much. The only reason we can sense Hiei at all is due to long familiarity with his youki. At this distance and with all the interference from human reiki, I would probably only be able to detect a B-class battle-aura or higher."=  
  
Yuusuke slowly relaxed back into his normal slouch, leaning idly against the wall behind him and ignoring the curious looks he was receiving from Kurt. ="Probably nothing to worry about. That's not even a tenth of Hiei's sparring-aura, much less his full-blown battle-aura."=  
  
Kurama sent an incredulous look toward the Toushin. ="Are you joking? You want to leave even a MINUTELY battle-ready Hiei unsupervised in a building full of humans?"=  
  
Yuusuke blinked, a grimace spreading across his face. ="Good point."= He sighed heavily but straightened his shoulders resolutely. ="Time to go save humanity . . . again. Lead the way."=  
  
It was a testament to how focused they were on their current goal --find Hiei and perform whatever damage control they deemed necessary before the building came down around their ears-- that neither of them said a word to Kurt as they left, leaving the disguised mutant standing alone in a broad sea of scattered bags, boxes, and clothing. Neither Yuusuke nor Kurama were aware of the fact that, as soon as they exited the store, Kurt disappeared in a cloud of blue-black smoke and reappeared, perched easily atop one of the metal rafters supporting the mall's ceiling.  
  
Kurt followed their progress through the mall by bamphing from rafter to rafter, unknowingly following the same path that Hiei had tread just a short while earlier . . .  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Admittedly, Rogue hadn't been having one of her better days.  
  
To begin with, she hadn't been able to find her gloves when she had first gotten dressed, which had resulted in an accidental 'touching' moment between herself and Rahne, in turn resulting in the unfortunate side-effect of claws and fur sprouting on her body at inopportune moments for the better part of the morning. Luckily, the contact with Rahne had been brief, and the semi-transformations had worn off with relative swiftness.  
  
Her second clue that the day ahead was bound to be anything BUT peaches'n'cream was when she had walked in on a Scott-and-Jean-Tender- Moment, not exactly something she wanted to see before breakfast.  
  
Ah, yes. Breakfast. Spilling milk down her front . . . having a certain, blue-furred SOMEBODY bamphing in ON TOP of her . . . dropping a plate of sausages onto Bobby's lap while she was trying to pass them along the table . . . Yes, breakfast had been just DANDY.  
  
And NOW she was being manhandled by four muscle-bound toughs who looked like they'd be more at home in the orangutan exhibit at the local zoo.  
  
Needless to say, Rogue's temper was wearing dangerously thin.  
  
"Git your filthy paws offa' me, ya yahoos!" Her voice echoed eerily down the empty hallway down which she was currently being led. She bucked against the grips that two of the guys had on her arms. "Ah'm warnin' you! Let me go!"  
  
Thank god that Logan wasn't anywhere near right now. He'd never let her hear the end of this if he knew that, not only had she let her guard down in an open, crowded place where attack was always feasible --if slightly unlikely--, but that she had actually been too shocked by being manhandled by four complete strangers to yell out for help.  
  
Stupid, ignorant mall patrons . . . You'd think that SOMEONE would have noticed a girl getting accosted by four young men, but NO.  
  
Rogue resolved silently to never walk alone at the edges of a crowd ever again; it was much like a young fawn straying away from the safety of the herd and tempting the wolves to supper.  
  
She stiffened and blinked as surprise as there was a flash of black out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned to investigate, looking past the two men standing on her right side, all she saw was a blank wall, and an out-of-place breeze brushed several of her white bangs into her eyes.  
  
What in the world . . . ?  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
His crimson eyes glittered with the bloodlust that only predators knew. He knew that it was unlikely he would kill any of the four humans, but the thrill of a hunt, stalking unknowing prey who had no idea the danger they faced . . . It was one of the few pleasures he could still indulge in.  
  
The girl's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he brushed past their small group, but he knew that she couldn't know what it was that she had seen or heard.  
  
The men hadn't noticed a single thing out of place, bringing a disdainful sneer to his lips. True hunters would know if there was a threat about. These were nothing more than typical human thugs.  
  
Still, it would be enjoyable to see them squirm.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
"Outta' my way! Move it, people! Guys in a hurry coming through!"  
  
Yuusuke had learned many things while serving as a Spirit Detective. One such thing was that, if he was anywhere near a group of people --no matter what size-- and he was in a desperate hurry to save the world or something along those lines, they would find SOME way to block him. Right now, he could swear that the other people were pressing more tightly around himself and Kurama instead of getting out of the way!  
  
"God damn it, you morons, move your asses!"  
  
At times like this, Yuusuke truly wished that people DID know about Reikai and demons. Then he could have just pulled out a badge and said "Urameshi Yuusuke, Spirit Detective. Demon activity has been detected nearby. A-class power level. Get the hell out of my way."  
  
No, he had to make like a mole and burrow his way through the damnably thick crowd.  
  
Kurama was directly on his tail, no doubt finding it easier to just traverse the path that Yuusuke was making instead of creating his own. Yuusuke could even hear the redhead's soft voice as he apologized for jostling the people he bumped into. ". . . your pardon, excuse me, I'm sorry . . . can I get through here? Thank you . . . excuse me, sorry . . ."  
  
Stupid Youko. Why couldn't HE have taken point?  
  
"Don't you people have ears? I said SCRAM! That means YOU! GET A //CLUE//, PEOPLE!"  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Rogue found herself being thrust through a doorway and found herself standing in one of the more remote corners of the parking garage, next to a pair of dumpsters. Huge concrete columns supported the high ceiling, and the only light came from a dim yellow bulb perched above the door she had just exited. The four young men filed out behind her and stood there, smirking.  
  
The largest of the four stood forward from the rest, his smile anything BUT friendly. "Hello, my little mutant."  
  
Rogue glared, falling into a slight crouch. "Ah don't know who you are, what you want with me, or how you know what Ah am, but Ah suggest that you git away while you can. Ah'm not exactly in a good mood at the moment."  
  
She couldn't run. They were too close. They'd tackle her before she'd gone three steps.  
  
"We just want to give you something."  
  
"Thanks, but no thanks. You can take whatever it is and shove it up your homely ass."  
  
His smile widened. Rogue didn't like the look in his eyes. It was oddly blank, and she had yet to hear any of the other three speak at all. She had met plenty of run-of-the-mill thugs, and it was standard for them to blab off at the victim, hurling threats, insults, demands for money, etc.  
  
This wasn't adding up.  
  
The leader reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, grape sized . . . something. It looked vaguely like something small and round wrapped in cloth or plastic or something. Rogue squinted, trying to make out what it was more clearly, but she continually glanced up at the four men, ensuring that they weren't about to jump her while her attention was distracted.  
  
Of course, they HAD released her once they had come outside. If they wanted to mug her or something, why would they have done that?  
  
"All right," she said at last, still suspicious. "Ah'll bite. What is it?"  
  
"A present," he said. "From a friend."  
  
Rogue slipped into an even more secure fighting stance. She had friends, sure, but they were either at the Institute or members of the Brotherhood of Mutants. And none of said friends would be sending her a 'present' in such a way.  
  
The man seemed to sense her thoughts, and he drew back his arm, swinging it as though about to---  
  
"Here," he said and tossed the odd package toward her.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Coming nearer to where Hiei's youki was emanating from, yet still unable to pinpoint the small demon's exact location, Yuusuke grabbed Kurama and pushed the redhead in front of him roughly. "I don't know my way around this place any more than I know Portugese! Get up there and use that nose of yours, fox-boy!"  
  
Kurama went without hesitation, understanding the reason for Yuusuke's suddenly heightened level of haste.  
  
There was the faintest scent of something demonic in the air --if not an actual demon, then something closely related to Makai--, and it was not coming from any of the Reikai Tantei.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Rogue watched as the small parcel tumbled through the air toward her, glittering an odd shade of green, and she was vividly aware of the smirks upon all four men's faces.  
  
Should she bat the thing away? Catch it? Move aside? It would hit her if she did nothing---  
  
She saw that same flicker of black, and felt the same odd gust of wind, and suddenly the parcel just . . . disappeared.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Hiei bared his fangs in satisfaction as his hands curled carefully around the small orb, cushioning it from any harsh, jarring movements even as he leapt back up into the shadows, back to his impromptu perch upon a convenient beam of concrete supporting the roof of the garage, and he tucked the object carefully into one of the pockets within his cloak.  
  
The scent of Makai was heavy in his nostrils, the smell emanating from his newly-acquired prize, and his gaze was sharper than the blade of his katana as he turned his eyes back to the four humans.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Had she not been so shocked herself, Rogue might have grinned at the look of utter shock upon the leader's face.  
  
"W-what? How---?" His eyes turned toward Rogue. "You! You used your powers, didn't you?"  
  
Rogue's glare reached an entirely new level of fierceness. "Ah didn't do anythin', dumbass. Any mutant who knows me well enough to pick me out from a crowd should know what Ah'm capable of. Just another example of your pathetically poor plannin'."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Hiei smirked. He could truly learn to like this girl. She sounded entirely too much like himself.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
"And another thing." Rogue straightened slightly and began to tug at the fingers of her gloves, neatly pulling them off of her hands one at a time and tucking them into the waistband of her jeans. "Ah'll give you a chance to tell me just what you were tryin' to pull before I take things into my own . . . hands." She flexed her fingers meaningfully.  
  
The 'leader' glared at her furiously. "I know it was you! What did you do with it?"  
  
"If Ah did somethin' with it, then isn't it mah business? I mean, seein' as how it was a 'gift' for me and all . . ."  
  
All four men stared at her intensely, and when they spoke, it was together, as though they were a single entity.  
  
"We want it back."  
  
With that, they leapt forward.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurt had turned off his inducer and was now jogging lightly after the dim, distant figures of Yuusuke and Shuichi as they ran on toward some unknown goal. Every now and then, he would make a short BAMPH to gain ground on them before they were lost to sight.  
  
Something fishy was going on, and he wanted to know what . . .  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
For several short moments, the air was filled with a confusing array of dull thuds, grunts of pain, and sharp cracks.  
  
Rogue blinked, trying to understand what was going on.  
  
The four men had leapt toward her, and then . . .  
  
A flicker of black. A rush of wind.  
  
They had been thrown back like limp rag dolls,  
  
Several attempted to get to their feet, and the 'flicker' returned once more, knocking them flat on their backs. Rogue could see at least two men with abnormally bent arms and one with a leg twisted at an awkward angle.  
  
"If you wish to take on worthy prey, it is probably best that you make certain you are a worthy hunter first."  
  
Rogue's eyes were drawn to the slight, black-clad figure who had suddenly appeared amidst the strewn bodies.  
  
Hiei.  
  
Her mouth opened and closed several times in an attempt to speak, but no sound came out. She swallowed thickly, and tried again, her eyes locked upon the silvery blade of the sword held in the boy's right hand.  
  
"Y--- You . . . killed them?"  
  
He spared her a brief, disinterested glance. "No. They all still live, though they will sport some interesting bruises. I struck them with the flat and the blunted edge."  
  
All she could managed in reply was a very weak 'oh.'  
  
Hiei stepped toward the largest of the four men, the sole one still moving even slightly, and a cold sneer twisted his lips, giving Rogue her first good look at the young man's oddly pointed canines. The sword which she had always though he carried for show hung comfortably in his grip, held there as easily as though it were but another part of his body.  
  
Rogue shivered, wondering when in the world she was going to wake up from this insane dream.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Hiei smirked down at the 'leader' of the gang. "Foolish. Very foolish. One would think that you would possess enough intelligence --limited as it may be-- to realize that, since the girl is a mutant, SHE possesses abnormal powers . . . and as a human, YOU DON'T. Even if she had not had backup, that fact alone would give the girl quite an interesting advantage, ne?"  
  
The man twitched, raising his head so that the dim fluorescent lighting of the back corridor shone upon his battered features. He spat weakly, a gobbet of spit and blood spattering upon the cold tiles. "F-freaks . . . both of you---"  
  
"Ch." Hiei snorted in amusement, causing Rogue no small amount of discomfort at his callousness. "You're so typical. Typical HUMAN.---" He spat the word as though it possessed a foul taste. With a sneer showing clearly upon his eerily childlike features, Hiei pressed the sole of his boot against his target's cheek, forcing the man's face against the floor. "Your kind NEVER know your place."  
  
The man's body stiffened despite the awkward position it lay in, and his eyes rolled in his head, a disturbing chuckle building up in his chest. Those unfocused eyes slid up to gaze unsteadily at Hiei's face.  
  
="The Master sees you . . ."=  
  
Hiei smirked and pressed the blade of his katana lightly against the man's jugular.  
  
"I'm terrified."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Rogue's brain was beginning to hurt. First she got kidnapped . . . well, semi-kidnapped anyway . . . and then the kidnappers tried to pull some weird mind games on her, and NOW she was being rescued by the shrimpiest, most anti-social member of the Trouble Trio.  
  
To top everything off, he was now about to decapitate someone.  
  
Yes, things are bad enough, why couldn't they just add second-degree murder to the list?  
  
God, could her day get any worse?  
  
"Hiei, no!"  
  
She darted forward before she could fully think things through --things including the impeccably sharp sword so casually held in the boy's hand-- and pushed the black-clad figure away from the prone man. "You can't just kill him like that!"  
  
He blinked calmly at her. "Why not?"  
  
"'Cause . . . well, 'cause . . . you just CAN'T, okay?"  
  
The red-eyed boy smirked coldly. "Consider it an extermination."  
  
He made to move around her, but she reached out and grabbed his closest hand, the one not covered with the odd, ancient-looking bandages that seemed a permanent part of his wardrobe, intending to stop him before he got them both in jail.  
  
She didn't account for the sudden rush of information that flooded into her mind at the contact, far stronger than any contact she had previously experienced, and she tried her best to fight it.  
  
Damn it, first Rahne, now Hiei . . . Her gloves were never around when she needed them, were they?  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurama skidded to a halt within a millisecond of exiting the final door. Had it not been for his many years of torture/training at the hands of Genkai, Yuusuke would have bowled him over. There was something to be said for demon agility combined with hellishly hard training, however, and he managed to both slow himself sufficiently and twist over to one side, avoiding contact with the other young man completely.  
  
"What's---?"  
  
Yuusuke's cut himself off mid-question as his eyes took in the odd scene before him.  
  
Four human males lay scattered upon the ground, unconscious, some of them with limbs twisted out of place or dark, oblong bruises slowly darkening upon their skin, and both of the demons immediately recognized Hiei's handiwork.  
  
Their attention was swiftly drawn elsewhere.  
  
More specifically, their gazes were drawn to the odd sight of Rogue grasping Hiei's hand, both of their bodies abnormally stiff, their eyes with shock. Rogue's breathing was erratic, nearly to the point of hyperventilation.  
  
What was most disturbing, however, was Hiei. His skin was taking on an odd, greenish tinge, his hair spiking more than usual, and his Jagan eye was glowing brightly through the bandanna around the small demon's forehead, the white cloth smoking slightly and charring around the edges beneath the pressure of the youki seeking to escape.  
  
"Oh, Inari," whispered Kurama.  
  
Yuusuke couldn't have agreed more.  
  
"Oh, shit."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Rogue fought with all she had against the tide of memories and emotions and thoughts seeking to flood into her mind, but it was like battling a tsunami with a dam built of matchsticks.  
  
The barrier broke swiftly beneath the onslaught, and any sense of 'self' was washed away in the ensuing deluge . . .  
  
. . . the warehouse was dimly lit, and no doubt very cold even if she could not feel it. She cared not about such things, though; her only concern at the moment was the young adolescent human standing before her and the two treasures he held cradled in his hands, a strange mirror and a black and green ball.  
  
The boy glared at her heatedly, brown eyes alight with fury, as he demanded to know what had happened to the girl she had taken hostage.  
  
A slow smirk spread across her face, and she summoned forth two of her newly-made servants, not even bothering to turn her head and watch as they dragged the girl's unconscious form forward. Instead, she savored the look of complete horror and --for a short moment-- fear that showed upon the boy's expression before his eyes filled with burning fury.  
  
She sneered at his blatant display of emotion. It was weak to allow your opponent to read your feelings with such ease; the boy's every thought was mirrored plainly upon his face . . .  
  
. . . "You're a team player. A save-the-day superhero . . . I hate people like you." . . .  
  
. . . Green eyes glittered brightly with the awareness that only many battles could teach, and the fighter's long, red hair flew around his face as he leapt and dodged the stone monster's attacks.  
  
Her voice echoed eerily throughout the large chamber, despite the noise of the ongoing battle, as she spoke to the dark-haired human from before.  
  
"Do you know why I chose him to be my partner? So I wouldn't have to fight him myself. He's more cutthroat than I am in battle, and utterly ruthless." . . .  
  
. . . the fair-haired, crimson-eyed girl looked up at her with hope shining upon her face as she asked for any information about her lost brother, and the hope slowly faded as the very sibling she sought fed her naught but lie upon lie . . .  
  
. . . She sneered up into the face of the orange-haired, ape-faced human.  
  
"Tell me, what's it like living in a constant haze of stupidity?" . . .  
  
. . . the crowd roared in approval, many of the spectators baring their fangs in feral grins, as her sword slashed down toward her opponent. One more win to add to the tally . . .  
  
. . . a small spark of amusement flared within her as she caught sight of the strange, blue creature perched atop her companion's dark hair, but she hid the emotion behind a slight glower and a smirk.  
  
"What IS that ridiculous appendage growing out of your head?" . . .  
  
. . . mist swirled through the middle of the arena, slowly fading away to reveal the white-clad figure of the silver-haired male now standing at the heart of the stadium. Triangular ears swiveled, catching the many sounds around him, and his tail twitched slightly. Golden eyes glittered coldly as he smirked at the dumbstruck crowd . . .  
  
. . . shock and horror filled her, emotions that she would never have thought to feel for a human, as she gazed down at the young man's lifeless body where it lay upon the rocky floor of the cave. The black hair, now soft and messy without the restraining gel, was matted with blood, and the wound in his chest, a small, round hole directly over his heart, still wept red. Around her, the others were feeling emotions equal to, if not surpassing, her own. Her eyes turned toward the killer, and her shock slowly melted into rage . . .  
  
. . . the phoenix stretched its wings wide as it soared above the rocky plain of the battlefield. Her hands were buried deep in the thick, blue feathers as she balanced upon its back beside the orange-haired human and a brown-haired young man wearing red and blue robes. Out of the corner of one eye, she could see the silver-haired being soaring alone, born aloft by wings created from one of his plants. Down below, the fight between the raven-haired boy --now a raven-haired demon-- and his most powerful opponent yet raged on . . .  
  
. . . power surged through the air, thickening it, making it hard to breathe. She watched in amazement as the transformation took place, as the boy's --no, the DEMON'S-- hair lengthened, growing into a thick mane that fell past his knees, and dark blue markings appeared upon the bare skin of his arms and chest.  
  
She was witnessing the birth of a god. She knew it.  
  
A War God.  
  
Demon Lord.  
  
//Toushin// . . .  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Arms were around her waist, pulling her away from the flood of memories. Someone was speaking, and she tried desperately to comprehend the words even as her mind was spinning with the disjointed images and sounds that were all she could remember from the contact.  
  
". . . crap, Hiei, what'd you do?"  
  
". . . shut UP, Detective."  
  
That voice . . . Hiei. And he sounded pissed.  
  
"She looks unwell, Yuusuke. Perhaps we should take her to the others?"  
  
Shuichi?  
  
"With my luck? She'll hurl all over me."  
  
Yuusuke, definitely.  
  
"Then I'LL carry her to the van and let YOU explain things to Jean and Kitty."  
  
". . . I never liked this shirt much anyway."  
  
"I thought so."  
  
"Ch."  
  
She felt herself being shifted, her shoulders pressing against something warm . . . a chest. Someone was holding her.  
  
"Rogue? Hey, Rogue, you in there? . . . what is that name that Claw-Boy calls her? Streak? . . . Stripes! Yo, Stripes, wakey wakey . . . "  
  
She pressed her eyes closed, fighting against the migraine that was making itself at home in her skull, and tried her damnedest to tell the annoying voice to shut up.  
  
"Mmphnf."  
  
"This isn't any time for beauty sleepin', Stripes, trust me. Come on, gimme' a break."  
  
"Yuusuke, she could be having a bad reaction to Hiei's youki. We don't know how well humans can deal with it."  
  
"Hey, I turned out all right, didn't I?"  
  
"That's debatable."  
  
"Shut up, Hiei."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke looked down at the girl's pale face. Not that she wasn't ALWAYS pale, but now she had a sort of greenish tint to go along with it, something that was not at all attractive.  
  
Her eyes fluttered slightly, and she managed another soft moan.  
  
Sighing and wishing that he had a glass of cold water handy to douse her with, he reached up instead to slap lightly at one of her cheeks, hoping to bring her around.  
  
He never heard Hiei's sudden, panicked shout of warning . . .  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
Whew! Long one! I hope you enjoyed!  
  
[1] Vas- German: What?  
  
[2] Remember, Yuusuke was able to speak with the first demon he met (the little imp that was controlling the gang member who stole Kuwabara's kitten --What was its name, Ekishi?--), and the imp was startled that Yuusuke could a) see him in the first place, b) catch him, and c) understand the demon speech.  
  
[3] Meiki is like the power of darkness, the energy of the Meikai. Seikouki is light energy, the energy used by Koenma and other beings of spirit realm. Reiki is to seikouki as youki is to meiki.  
  
(People, please don't rag me about my German. You know what I'm trying to say, so please leave it at that. I don't need everyone telling me it's supposed to be 'was' and not 'vas,' even though it IS pronounced as 'vas' . . . *groan* Headache . . . ) 


	19. Overload, Part One of Two

Be sure to check out my new YYH oneshot, Immortality. It's my first attempt at angst, so I'd like some feedback, onegai. ^_^  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything of Edgar Allen Poe's.  
  
The kitsune information in this story (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : // w w w . comnet . ca / ~ foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm . I used some snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
This chapter had to be cut into two sections: it was turning out to be over twenty-five pages (size ten font) and the latter half had some gaps in it that I'm having trouble filling in. I thought you'd appreciate it if I went ahead and got this out instead of making ya'll wait longer. So, here goes.  
  
- : - : - Chapter Eighteen: Overload, Part One of Two - : - : -  
  
"Oh, honestly!" Kitty eyed the scattered bags and clothing littering the floor of the store with exasperation. "Men! We can't leave them alone for a MINUTE!"  
  
Rahne scowled. "I TOLD you we should have set someone to watch them!"  
  
Jubilee knelt down and began to gather up the discarded parcels, grumbling quietly to herself. Something about 'stupid boys' and locking 'those irresponsible jerks' in the Danger Room until they learned their lesson.  
  
Kitty turned pleading eyes to Jean, who was watching the proceedings with a big-sisterly sort of amusement. "Jean, can't you find them for us? We've only got, like, another hour before we're supposed to meet Rogue!"  
  
Jean frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know. There are a lot of people around, Kitty; it's a lot of interference to sort through to find three people . . . well, four, if you count Hiei."  
  
"You know Kurt really well, though," protested Kitty. "It'll, like, be easier for you to pick him out, right? And the others are probably with him!"  
  
Jean thought for several moments. "I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to try."  
  
Kitty beamed. "Thanks, Jean!"  
  
The auburn-haired young woman closed her eyes and focused her mind. She could sense Kitty, Rahne, and Jubilee easily enough, all three of them giving off mild waves of irritation. She pressed her senses further outward, searching for Kurt's vibrant, sparkling personality.  
  
What she received instead was a violent jolt of shock, disbelief, and fear so strong that her eyesight blurred and her knees weakened. She was barely aware of the voices of Kitty, Jubilee and Rahne as the girls called out to her in alarm.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Every strand of fur upon Kurt's body was standing on end. His amber eyes were wide with a mix of confusion and fright, and his tail lashed uncontrollably behind him.  
  
The confusion was due to several things: namely, Shuichi's and Yuusuke's sudden alarm and flight from the store, the fact that they found both Hiei and Rogue without any way of knowing where either of the missing mutants were, and the sprawled, unconscious bodies of four men lying upon the cold cement slabs lining the ground of the parking-garage.  
  
The fright was mostly due to the fact that Rogue --her hands bare-- was touching Hiei . . . and as a result, Hiei was . . . glowing. The black haired mutant's entire body was outlined in a strange, violet-black shimmer with occasional sparks of red flickering here and there.  
  
The light was faint, and Kurt could almost believe that he was imagining it, save that he could also see that Hiei's skin was slowly darkening to an unnatural shade of green, and something beneath Hiei's ever-present white bandana was shining violet . . . and steaming.  
  
Kurt found little comfort at all --if anything, he became even more worried- - when he noticed that Yuusuke and Shuichi looked just as tense as he himself felt, if not more so.  
  
"Oh, Inari . . ." breathed Shuichi softly, sounding almost fearful.  
  
Yuusuke's hands balled into fists by his sides. "Oh, shit."  
  
Kurt's eyes darted anxiously between Rogue and the two teenage boys. Kurt had never seen such a look of agony upon Rogue's face before, and Yuusuke and Shuichi were just STANDING THERE! The blue-furred mutant opened his mouth to demand what they were waiting for, couldn't they see Rogue needed help?  
  
But Yuusuke and Shuichi were already moving, as though prodded into action by a silent signal.  
  
Almost faster than Kurt's eyes could follow, Yuusuke and Shuichi darted forward. Shuichi went for Hiei and Yuusuke for Rogue, the two boys each grabbing their chosen target and tugging them apart.  
  
Rogue and Hiei's hands separated abruptly, like two magnets tugged away from each other. In an instant, all the tension drained from both mutants' bodies, and they collapsed bonelessly in their rescuers' arms, their eyes sliding closed. As Shuichi lowered Hiei to the ground, the light faded from around the smaller mutant and his skin resumed its normal shade, the strange glow behind his bandana fading.  
  
Yuusuke had knelt, bearing the limp form of Rogue gently to earth, propping her shoulders against his chest, but his eyes were intent upon Shuichi and Hiei. He voiced a quiet question in that strange 'rare dialect' of theirs. It sounded as though he was asking as to Hiei's condition, though there was no way for Kurt to be certain.  
  
Before Shuichi had a chance to answer, however, Hiei's body stiffened, and a pair of garnet eyes snapped open to glare up at the red-haired boy. Kurt heard the small mutant growl a comment that even Kurt could understand was a threat.  
  
Shuichi obligingly moved away, allowing the black-haired mutant to sit up, still scowling. Kurama murmured something to Yuusuke, and some of the tension drained out of the other boy's frame, a small smile appearing on his lips.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Charles Xavier was experiencing a rare, peaceful moment to himself, something that he savored immensely. He sat quietly on the balcony outside of his room, looking out over the green expanse of the Institute grounds and enjoying the fresh air brushing against his face.  
  
However, despite the peaceful scene, his thoughts were racing furiously. Looking upon the trees of the forest merely brought to his mind the problem of the 'kitsune' Kitty had seen roaming Institute grounds.  
  
What sort of creature could it be? The only possible answer thus far was Logan's 'fox-spirit' theory, but Charles' truly hoped that there was a more reasonable explanation than that.  
  
Was it friend, foe, or merely a dumb beast?  
  
What --or WHO-- had led it here?  
  
Most importantly of all, was it dangerous?  
  
It disturbed him greatly that he had no answers.  
  
He closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, firmly pushing the troubling thoughts to the back of his mind. It had been over a month since his last chance to simply relax and enjoy silence; at the Institute, it was rare indeed that there was quiet for any significant length of time. There was always someone yelling or laughing, and occasionally there would be a mild explosion from the Danger Room or wherever some of the more 'destructive' students happened to be --I.e. Jubilee, Amara, Scott, and (not so long ago) Tabitha.  
  
Now, all to be heard was the rustling of the wind through the trees, the distant singing of a woodland bird, and the soothing, rushing sound of the sea crashing against the cliffs near the mansion.  
  
He was lulled into a light doze, every muscle in his body comfortably limp.  
  
He nearly fell out of his chair when the frantic cry of Jean's mind-voice echoed inside his skull.  
  
~:PROFESSOR!:~  
  
Charles' eyes snapped open and sat up, his back ramrod straight. ~:Jean? What's wrong?:~  
  
~:Professor, we need help! Something's wrong with Rogue!:~  
  
He had never heard her sound so anxious. She was on the verge of stammering incoherently, and for Jean to be so upset . . . that was truly cause for worry.  
  
~:Calm down, Jean. Slowly now, breathe. Tell me, what's wrong with Rogue?:~  
  
~:I don't know! I was trying to talk to Kurt, and . . . and there was this image of Rogue . . . touching someone, I think. Kurt was focused on Rogue; I couldn't see the other person clearly. Professor, she's in PAIN. You've got to send help; Kurt was beside himself, and I don't know where they are! Something's interfering with my powers; I can't track them down!:~  
  
Charles' hands were already guiding his chair back into his rooms, heading purposefully for Cerebro. ~:What do you mean, 'interference'?:~  
  
~:I . . . It's . . . Like mist, professor. All different colors, black and violet and red. I can sense Kurt and Rogue, but there's this MIST all around them, keeping me from tracking them. I don't know what to do!:~  
  
~:Where are you now, and who's with you?:~  
  
~: . . . Jacqueline's Ladies' Apparel. Kitty, Rahne, and Jubilee are all here. Everyone else is missing.:~  
  
~:And the van?:~  
  
~:The---the parking garage, second level.:~  
  
~:Go to the van and wait. I'm sending help.:~  
  
~:Hurry, please!:~  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Hiei hated weakness. Loathed it, in fact.  
  
Therefore waking up to find himself lying flat on his back with a certain red-haired kitsune bending over him was not something that would put him in an especially good mood.  
  
="Get your damn hands off me, Kurama, and get the hell away. Now."=  
  
Kurama blinked once in mild surprise, but he moved away, allowing Hiei to have the personal space he desired.  
  
The Jaganshi pretended not to notice Kurama's mild, amused comment of, ="Don't worry, Yuusuke. He seems perfectly fine to me."=  
  
The small, black-haired demon growled to himself as he sat up. What the hell had that human brat DONE?  
  
A headache flickered around inside his head like numerous flashes of especially vindictive lightning. His entire body throbbed. His youki was straining unnaturally against his control, as though he had suddenly been flooded with three times the amount of energy he was normally accustomed to carrying around inside himself, and his Jagan burned angrily; the implanted eye tended to be a bit possessive when it came to it's host. Were it not for the warded headband restraining the Jagan's power, the girl would most likely be dead as payment for her intrusion into Hiei's mind.  
  
Hiei's eyes fell upon the girl in question where she lay limply in Yuusuke's lap, and his glare intensified even as his thoughts whirled with possible theories explaining what had just happened.  
  
Yuusuke's voice interrupted Hiei's speculations. ="Yeesh! It's nice to know you're not dead, but still!"= The Toushin was grinning slightly, more than a little of his demon nature showing through. ="Crap, Hiei, what'd you do?"=  
  
Hiei's glare was immediately transferred to the dark-haired young man, and he snarled viciously, in no mood to tolerate the young demon's joking nature. ="Shut UP, detective."=  
  
Kurama was eyeing Rogue, taking stock of her condition from where he stood beside Hiei's kneeling form. ="She looks unwell, Yuusuke. Perhaps we should take her to the others?"=  
  
="With my luck? She'll hurl all over me, Kurama."=  
  
Kurama's eyes narrowed, more than a little gold showing amongst the emerald, indicating that Kurama's Youko side was vying for dominance. Even Hiei could tell that the fox disliked being in the middle of 'human' territory with so many strange, possibly Makai-related things going on. Hiei himself was feeling exposed, and he was oddly enough looking forward to getting back to the mansion. At least their rooms there were semi-secure from outside interference.  
  
Kurama glared. ="Then I'LL carry her to the van and let YOU explain things to Jean and Kitty."=  
  
Yuusuke's gaze sharpened, and he gazed at Kurama for a few short seconds, reading the kitsune's tense posture and the telltale signs of Kurama's Youko side coming to the fore.  
  
The Toushin grinned lopsidedly. ="I never liked this shirt much anyway."=  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Ororo suppressed a terrified yelp and clung tightly to Logan's waist as the burly mutant directed the motorcycle around yet another sharp curve . . . at about sixty-five miles per hour.  
  
If not for the helmet that Logan had practically shoved over her head in his haste to get on the road, her hair would have been whipping around so violently that it would most likely have left red welts on her face. She was also thankful for the glass face-shield of the helmet; it was far easier to breathe when moving at such high speeds if the wind wasn't rushing suffocatingly against one's nose and mouth.  
  
She had been in the middle of watering the plants of her small indoor garden via her . . . unique . . . methods when Logan had crashed through the door, grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her through the mansion to the garage.  
  
He spoke five words the entire time. "Trouble. Rogue. Bayville Mall. Now."  
  
By the time her mind had caught up with her body, she wasn't exactly in a position to protest; namely, she was behind Logan, astride a motorcycle that was pushing seventy mph down a very large, very crowded highway.  
  
She clenched her eyes shut and tightened her grip, silently resolving to have a LONG talk with Logan sometime in the near future about his choice of transportation.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurt inched forward slowly, carefully remaining within the shadows of the still-open doorway. He debated silently with himself: to remain hidden and learn more about the three strange newcomers, or to show himself --and reveal that he had been spying on them-- to help them with Rogue.  
  
His tail twitched and curled slightly around his thigh, a visible sign of his indecision.  
  
He WANTED to help Rogue, but he didn't want to upset Yuusuke, Kurama or Hiei . . . ESPECIALLY not Hiei. The small, black-haired mutant seemed the kind of person to use fists --or blades-- to work out disputes.  
  
Almost like a little Logan, really.  
  
Kurt's gaze was intent upon Yuusuke, watching the teenager bend closer to Rogue's pale face as he shook the girl slightly. Kurt could hear him talking softly to the unconscious mutant, cajoling her to wake.  
  
Kurt fidgeted, chewing on his bottom lip.  
  
He wanted to help her. He needed to help her.  
  
He placed one foot tentatively forward . . . even as his eyes widened upon seeing Yuusuke's hand settle lightly upon Rogue's cheek.  
  
His shocked cry of, "NO, DON'T--- !" came almost in unison with an equally vehement cry from Hiei.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
"YUUSUKE! TEINOUSHA---! [1]"  
  
Hiei snarled loudly in surprise as his senses were battered by the violent flare of youki from Yuusuke's body. He fought to stand, but his muscles protested at the abrupt movement, and he dropped back to his knees. Beside him, Kurama flinched violently at Yuusuke's spike in energy, dropping into a secure fighting stance through instinct.  
  
"NO, DON'T---!"  
  
Hiei's gaze snapped toward the open door leading toward the mall, and he saw the blue-furred mutant boy --Kurt-- standing there, his eyes wide with dismay and one hand outstretched toward Yuusuke.  
  
Hiei bared his fangs. Things were rapidly being shot to hell. He could practically hear their cover-story crumbling down around their ears.  
  
But first things were first: deal with Yuusuke, and THEN they would worry about keeping their cover in tact.  
  
He dragged his attention back to Yuusuke.  
  
To the Jaganshi's ki-sensitive sight, Yuusuke's body was outlined in light of the deepest blue . . . the energy was so concentrated that even a human would probably be able to see it.  
  
. . . and for every second that passed, the light grew brighter, rising far faster and far higher than Hiei's youki levels had when he had been in Yuusuke's position. Already blue markings were fading into existence upon the Toushin's skin.  
  
Hiei glared up at Kurama. "What are you WAITING for?!" he yelled. "GET HIM OUT OF THERE!"  
  
Kurama jerked in surprise at the abrupt order, but he didn't need to be told twice.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
To Kurt's eyes, it seemed as though Kurama disappeared from beside Hiei . . . only to see him reappear behind Yuusuke. The red-haired mutant hooked his elbows beneath Yuusuke's arms and bodily dragged the slightly smaller boy away from Rogue.  
  
Kurt flinched violently as Rogue's upper body fell back against the cement, her head landing upon the hart ground with a very audible *clunk*.  
  
He bamphed to her side, bending down so that his ear was directly above her nose and mouth. The fine blue hairs were stirred by her breath, and he let out a short breath he had been holding. He had certainly never seen anything like THAT happen to her before; he wasn't certain what condition she would be in.  
  
But she WAS breathing; that was always a plus.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurama's lips thinned in annoyance as he watched Yuusuke roll onto his side, groaning.  
  
="Holy shit . . ."= The Toushin pressed his hands against his temples, squeezing his eyes shut. ="Who kicked me?"=  
  
Kurama sighed, his eyes falling upon the unconscious figure of Rogue, who was currently being tended by an anxious Kurt. ="Lord Yuusuke, might I suggest you follow the 'look, don't touch' approach in the future?"=  
  
Yuusuke gingerly raised himself to a sitting position, then abruptly lowered his forehead down to rest between his knees. ="My head feels like it did after Raizen tried playing puppet-master with me. What the hell happened?"=  
  
="To be completely truthful, I'm not certain."= Kurama frowned slightly, looking toward Kurt. ="But I know someone who can explain."=  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
[1] Teinousha- Japanese, 'moron' 


	20. 1,200 Review Special

- : - : - INTERLUDE II -or- A Phoenix of a Different Color - : - : -  
  
Genkai was experiencing one of her favorite things: a calm, normal day at the shrine. No demons, no demigods, no Reikai Tantei . . . just her and the trees and the wind.  
  
She had woken at dawn, performed her morning cleaning duties, eaten her usual, light breakfast (tea and crackers), and done her normal exercises in the open meadow behind the shrine. After she was through with her katas, she retired to the porch of the main building to spend the hot midday hours meditating.  
  
Well, to TRY to meditate, anyway.  
  
There was an odd rustling sound, and then a large, all-too-familiar shadow fell over her, blocking out the warmth of the afternoon sun. "Prrruuuu!"  
  
The aged martial artist twitched minutely. "Go away, bird."  
  
"Prrruuu?"  
  
Genkai cracked one eye open to peer up at the blue, feathered mass of Yuusuke's spirit beast, Puu, a phoenix that was roughly thirty to forty feet long from beak to tail-tip but usually stood at a height of around fifteen to twenty feet tall. "I said 'GO AWAY.'"  
  
The phoenix ducked its head like a scolded child. A stray breeze ruffled through the thick mane of black hair that sprouted down the back of it's long, slender neck. "Prrryuuuu . . . ?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Rrryuuu?"  
  
"You can hunt for yourself perfectly well. There's an entire haunted forest right behind the shrine. Go catch yourself an oni."  
  
The phoenix pressed it's head --the size of a small boulder-- nearer to her, it's eyes wide and pleading, glistening brightly with what could have been unshed tears. "Purrruuuu?"  
  
"NO, you big, blue buzzard. Now scat."  
  
The head pressed closer, the eyes staring beseechingly into her own. "PUUUU- rrrrryuuuu . . . ?"  
  
Genkai's lips pressed tightly together in a stern frown. Her eyes narrowed. If she had been a cat, her claws would have been out and her fur on end.  
  
The phoenix pressed its beak gently against her chest, its warm breath fanning the fabric of her shirt. It trilled once more, softly.  
  
Genkai drew in a deep breath.  
  
"Oh . . . for goodness sake. FINE. Have it your way." She pushed the bird's head away roughly and stood, turning around to enter the shrine in search of the latest package of saltine crackers she had bought. She paused momentarily, however, to level a warning glare at the spirit beast. "But if you EVER teach Yuusuke that Look of yours, kami help me, I'll use you in a stew and stuff pillows with your feathers. Clear?"  
  
"Prrrruuuu!"  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Genkai sighed silently to herself as she brushed crumb after crumb off of her clothing. Puu paused momentarily from daintily preening the remains of his afternoon snack from his feathers to trill happily at the small woman.  
  
Genkai's lips thinned as she picked an especially large cracker fragment from her hair. She eyed it balefully for a moment before flicking it toward the empty box and plastic sleeves that had until recently held a goodly number of crackers. "Damn bird."  
  
"Prrrruuuu?"  
  
"You heard me."  
  
"Ryyyuuuu."  
  
She scowled darkly. "You're worse than Yuusuke."  
  
The phoenix drew himself to his full, twenty-foot height, as though affronted. "PUU-rryuuu!"  
  
"Yes, I DO know that you're his Spirit Beast."  
  
"RRYUUU."  
  
She sighed. "AND a reflection of his soul. Yes, I know."  
  
"Prruuu."  
  
"Don't sound so smug."  
  
"Rrryyyuuu."  
  
Genkai glared up at the huge Spirit Beast. "I believe I would have liked you better as an egg."  
  
- : - : - That Evening - : - : -  
  
The small flame clung tenaciously to the tip of the long taper as Genkai carefully touched it to the wick of the lamp. A few seconds passed before the flame took hold upon the wick, and she was able to move on to the next lamp upon the wall. As she worked, the orange glow in the large, dark room of the shrine grew brighter, flickering over the dark bulk of the statue at the back of the room.  
  
She finished with the last lamp in the room and carefully blew out the flame, clearing her throat mildly when some of the resulting smoke wafted into her face.  
  
Dropping the still-usable taper into a small urn placed beside the door, the aged martial artist brushed several stray strands of her silver- streaked hair out of her face and stepped onto the porch of the shrine, feeling the evening air brushing against her cheeks.  
  
Her eyes narrowed suddenly, her gaze raking over the shrine grounds.  
  
The courtyard was empty.  
  
Where was that damn bird?  
  
Ever since the phoenix had returned from Makai --a few days after Yuusuke's departure,-- Genkai hadn't been able to pry him away from her side with a crowbar. He seemed to understand instinctively that Yuusuke's current location was Off Limits, and so he had adopted Genkai as his temporary 'pet human.'  
  
True, he had usually stayed at the shrine before whenever he had happened to be in Ningenkai, but never had he acted so . . . open? affectionate? . . . with anyone other than Yuusuke.  
  
Truth be told, she had grown attached to the big buzzard.  
  
"Bird?" she called.  
  
She reached out with her senses, searching for the wellspring of blue fire that was the phoenix's energy signature.  
  
What she found was a blazing sapphire inferno.  
  
Her breath hissed out through her teeth in surprise even as the hairs rose on the back of her neck. Without a second thought, she darted nimbly down the wooden walkway lining side the building, heading for the meadow that lay between the shrine and the dark forest.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Every inch, every feather, every strand of hair upon the huge phoenix's body was highlighted with blazing blue light. Puu's neck was arched, his head turned toward the east . . . toward America . . . and his eyes were an even more vibrant shade of blood-red than normal. His entire body was tense, and the light throbbed around him in time with a heartbeat that was not his own.  
  
Genkai approached carefully, recognizing this as something beyond her experience. Yuusuke and Puu shared a bond of the souls, a bond that ran so deep that their emotions, their moods, their health, and even their likes and dislikes were reflected in each other --after Puu's transformation, Yuusuke had admitted to having odd cravings for things such as crackers and abnormally large servings of rice . . . and whoever had ever heard of a phoenix who enjoyed eating pocky?  
  
Seeing as Puu's transformation to his phoenix form came about as a result of the awakening of Yuusuke's demon side, it was also clear that the pair had a bond so deep that the same energies were shared between them.  
  
"Bird?"  
  
A quiver ran the length of the huge spirit beast's body, and Genkai suddenly found herself the sole focus of those shining eyes.  
  
Puu warbled forlornly, stretching his head down toward the small woman, and the blue glow of youki slowly faded from her sight, but she could still feel the fierce energy boiling within the huge spirit beast.  
  
Genkai reached up to gently brush against the soft feathers around the phoenix's beak. "Puu? What's---?" She broke off, a lump settling in the pit of her stomach. ". . . Yuusuke."  
  
It was a fact of life: the Dimwit could be locked away in a padded cell somewhere, and he would find SOME way to become entangled in a life-or- death fight that would save or destroy all Ningenkai.  
  
The phoenix crooned an unhappy affirmative to her question. ". . . puuurrruuuuu . . ."  
  
A troubled frown tugged at Genkai's mouth. "Well, you're still alive and conscious. That's always a plus."  
  
The phoenix huffed in response, 'chrrr'ing in reproach.  
  
Genkai tugged on a strand of the thick, black mane. "Sorry."  
  
"Puuuu."  
  
She ran her hands lightly over the phoenix's finely crafted head, tugging lightly on the long, slim ears dangling to either side of his skull. The gleaming, ruby eyes half-closed as Puu crooned softly, pressing closer for more attention.  
  
Genkai sighed, looking toward the east, toward Yuusuke.  
  
"Tell me, bird, do you have enough energy left in you for a quick trip to Reikai?"  
  
- : - : - LATER, MINNA-SAN! - : - : - 


	21. Overload, Part Two of Two

Be sure to check out my new YYH oneshot, Immortality. It's my first attempt at angst, so I'd like some feedback, onegai. ^_^  
  
- : - : - : - : - : - This chapter is dedicated to KYRA RIVERS. She drew a fantastic piece of fanart from Mission X based on the chapter Youko Moon. Feel free to visit it at [http : / / w w w . geocities . com / cheerful _ otaku / youko . htm]. It's really great, and her site is pretty cool, too.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything of Edgar Allen Poe's.  
  
The kitsune information in this story (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : // w w w . comnet . ca / ~ foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm . I used some snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.  
  
- : - : - Chapter Nineteen: Overload, Part Two of Two - : - : -  
  
Rahne never thought that she would be glad to hear screeching tires -- riding with Scott tended to make one a bit leery of that particular sound-- but her heart leapt within her chest when she caught sight of Logan's motorcycle skidding around the corner of the garage ramp that led up from the level below. She could also see someone perched behind him, and a flicker of silver hair hanging from under the passenger's helmet gave away Storm's identity.  
  
Rahne moved forward to join Jean, Kitty and Jubilee in front of the van, all three of them watching the approaching motorcycle with definite feelings of relief.  
  
As soon as the motorcycle had come to a stop beside the black Institute van, Storm slid off and pulled the helmet from her head, looking anything but pleased. As soon as Logan had similarly removed his helmet, Storm slapped him lightly on the back of his skull.  
  
"Don't you EVER do that to me again!"  
  
Logan frowned at the slender woman, rubbing the back of his head. "Not now, 'Roro." His gaze turned immediately toward Jean. "Where are they?"  
  
Kitty glared at the claw-bearing mutant, crossing her arms over her chest. "Like, if we knew THAT, why would we be standing around here doing nothing?"  
  
Rahne marveled --not for the first time-- that Kitty was one of the two students (Rogue was the other) at the Institute that could talk to Wolverine in such a manner without fearing for their lives.  
  
Logan settled for a semi-scowl. "Point taken." He turned back to Jean. "Chuck said you couldn't track them. Not at all?"  
  
Jean lowered her eyes, shaking her head silently.  
  
The burly mutant growled and slid off the motorcycle, hanging his helmet on the handlebars. "Guess we're stuck doing this the old-fashioned way."  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Hiei had recovered his katana from where it had fallen after the 'episode' with Rogue, and he had listened with half an ear as Kurama had started in on pressing Kurt for information about the girl's abilities --he himself was more focused upon watching their surroundings, alert for any unwanted watchers.  
  
However, something the young mutant said brought Hiei's head around with a jerk and sent a shiver running down his spine. He strode over to flank Kurama, his eyes intent upon Kurt.  
  
"WHAT did you just say?" he demanded.  
  
Kurt flinched violently at Hiei's harsh question, and his golden eyes were wide with apprehension as he looked up at the small demon from where he knelt on the ground, cradling Rogue's head in his lap. "Vhat?"  
  
"Did I hear you correctly?"  
  
"I--- I said that she drains mutant's powers vhen she t-touches them," stammered the young mutant.  
  
"Not that." Hiei ignored Kurama's questioning gaze. "You said she sees memories?"  
  
"Uh . . . ja." Kurt fidgeted uncomfortably. "Ja. She does. If she touches you, then she gets your powers and your memories . . . vell, SOME memories anyvay."  
  
Kurama drew in a long, hissing breath as he realized the implications.  
  
Hiei's eyes narrowed. "Shimatta."  
  
Kurt blinked at their odd reactions, but he seemed to decide that remaining silent was the safest choice at the moment.  
  
Hiei and Kurama exchanged a glance.  
  
="The shields?"= inquired the kitsune softly.  
  
="Collapsed,"= spat Hiei in disgust. ="I'll have them fixed momentarily, but this girl is going to be a problem."=  
  
Gold flickered around Kurama's irises. ="I'll deal with Kurt. You worry about the shields."=  
  
Hiei snarled softly but nodded his understanding.  
  
He turned his back on Kurama and the mutant boy and walked a short distance away. With quick, efficient movements, he loosened his bandana slightly, lifting it away from his forehead, and allowed his Jagan to open.  
  
It irked him to no end to know that the girl had been rooting freely through his thoughts. Yet another complication, as if things weren't tangled enough as they were.  
  
How much had she seen? Very few of his memories could be considered 'normal' by human standards. Had she seen images of Makai or of Reikai? Or of his time with the mercenaries? Kami forbid that she had seen memories of the Dark Tournament or the Reikai Tantei's more 'interesting' missions . . .  
  
WHO had she seen?  
  
Mukuro? Youko? Koenma, maybe? Botan or George?  
  
Or the Toushin . . . ?  
  
There were any number of beings that he knew whose special 'quirks' would not be explained away as 'mutant powers.' With the way his luck had been going lately, those memories that were most 'incriminating' were the exact ones she would have stumbled across.  
  
Ch. Absolutely PERFECT.  
  
And now all of the Tantei AND the girl would need shields . . . shields that he would have to construct --or in the case of Yuusuke, Kurama and himself, REconstruct-- quickly and then maintain. Damn it to Reikai.  
  
A conversation from days ago echoed through his mind mockingly.  
  
. . . . . . . . . .  
  
="How long can we count on this shield of yours, Hiei?"=  
  
="No human 'mutation' could possibly break my shields."=  
  
="But if you were injured? You can't maintain the focus needed if you're unconscious."=  
  
="True. In sleep I can maintain it subconsciously, but forcibly knocked out . . . no."=  
  
="In essence, that means that SOMEHOW our bad luck will kick in, and Hiei'll trip in the shower or some shit like that, and THEN where will we be?"=  
  
. . . . . . . . . .  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Professor Charles Xavier was presently tapping into Cerebro's psychic- enhancing abilities, sending his mind out across the city toward Bayville Mall. The jumbled, disjointed thoughts of the city's collective populous brushed against his mind in an indistinct, all-encompassing mumble. Years of training his talents enabled him to tune out such distractions, however, and soon he was homing in on Jean's mind, using it as a starting place for his search.  
  
Ah, good. There were Logan and Ororo. So the two groups HAD managed to meet. One less worry for him to concern himself over.  
  
Now . . . In his experience, whenever something was wrong with one of his students and it was necessary to search for them, the best thing to look for would be an abnormality in the nearby area.  
  
He stretched his senses out, probing for anything that would qualify as an 'abnormality.'  
  
He felt an odd sense of déjà vu as he felt three very familiar auras clustered tightly together within the mall area: the green and gold vines, the blue and white lightning, and the red and violet fire.  
  
If that didn't count as 'abnormal,' he didn't know what would.  
  
He focused upon the three auras, avoiding touching them as best he could. He now understood what Jean had meant before when she had mentioned 'mist': at their centers, the auras were remarkably condensed, the light at their cores so bright as to be white, but as one drew further away, the light thinned, becoming almost vaporous, hanging over their surroundings like a veil.  
  
But . . . there! He could feel Rogue right there, in the midst of the three strange lights.  
  
He pressed closer, hoping to pinpoint their location to pass on to Jean or Logan. ~Rogue? Rogue, are you---?:~  
  
The sense of déjà vu multiplied tenfold as an all-too familiar wall of violet energy flashed into existence, blocking his way to the three strange auras . . . and now it encompassed Rogue as well.  
  
A surge of dread flooded through him as he sought the source of the impediment. ~:Who are you!? What is the meaning of this?:~  
  
He had a short vision of a wide, glowing eye, its iris an unnatural shade of violet. A hissing laugh echoed through his mind, accompanied by a deep, mocking voice that sounded mildly familiar . . .  
  
~:Away, insect. You have no business here.:~  
  
With that, the violet wall pulsed brightly, and something slammed painfully into his mind, sending his consciousness whirling through the myriad of colors and emotions and thoughts that was the astral plane of the earth.  
  
When he next opened his eyes, it was to find himself slumped in his wheelchair before Cerebro's console, a fierce headache pounding in his temples.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurt watched the three new students closely, questions running from one side of his mind to the other in a dizzying stampede. He vowed silently that he WOULD get to the bottom of . . . whatever the heck had just happened, and if that meant keeping an eagle-eye on them from now until whenever the others showed up to help, then so be it.  
  
Truth be told, Kurt just wanted to get back to the Institute. Sitting in an abandoned corner of a mall parking garage with two --possibly three, if he counted Hiei-- injured people on his hands was NOT what he wanted to spend his Friday afternoon doing. Rogue was still pale, and her breathing shallow. Yuusuke still sat over to one side, his forehead resting against his knees; Kurt had the feeling that the spirited teenager was NOT one to sit around while others looked after affairs for him, and that meant that the other boy was either greatly tired or in pain . . . or both.  
  
Hiei . . . Kurt didn't know quite what to make of HIM. Kurt had seen him get touched by Rogue, and yet the boy seemed to be as healthy as ever.  
  
Kurt's thoughts were interrupted when Hiei rejoined the group with a definite 'cat-ate-the-canary' smirk on his face.  
  
Shuichi sent the dark-haired boy a questioning look, and Hiei's smirk grew. "I . . . dealt with it."  
  
"Ah."  
  
Kurt shuddered as Hiei's parted lips gave him an unrestricted view of the boy's sharp canines, something that the blue-furred mutant had never really given much thought to despite the fact that all three new students sported them. Now the image of the gleaming fangs mingled with his memories of Hiei with skin darkening to green and something unknown glowing on his forehead.  
  
His fur fluffed as a sign of his discomfort, and almost against his will, he whispered, "Vhat ARE you three?"  
  
He immediately regretted his question when Hiei, Shuichi, and even Yuusuke --who hadn't seemed to be paying much attention to anything at all up to this point-- all turned toward him with uncomfortably keen gazes.  
  
. . . and was he imagining it, or were Yuusuke's eyes tinted with red?  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
~:I could wipe his memory.:~  
  
Kurama restrained himself from flinching . . . barely. ~:NO, Hiei. Xavier has powers of the mind. For all we know, he could detect if we tampered with his students' minds.:~  
  
~:I've already created a shield around the girl's mind.:~  
  
~:Taking more risks than necessary is NOT a wise way to attempt to keep a secret.:~  
  
"Kurt," Kurama began, effectively ending the mental exchange with Hiei, "You'll have to trust us."  
  
Kurt frowned at the taller boy. "You're not going to tell me vhat's going on, are you?"  
  
Kurama closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath to compose himself. "Kurt . . ." He opened his eyes again to look beseechingly at the young mutant. "I'm asking you to trust us. Please. It IS true; we are not like the others at the Institute. However, we do not want to cause any trouble. Just please, don't tell anyone what you saw."  
  
Yuusuke saw that Kurama had the situation in hand, and he lowered his head back to his knees, a low growl --beneath human hearing-- vibrating in his chest.  
  
Kurt's golden eyes narrowed in suspicion, and Kurama could see a small glimmer of fear in their depths.  
  
The kitsune tried a different tactic: haggling. "Wait at least until Rogue wakes. Ask her what she learned about us. She saw into Yuusuke's and Hiei's thoughts. Surely you can trust what she knows? Just don't . . . don't betray us . . . not until you know our reasons for this secrecy."  
  
Ah, a hit. Kurt's eyes widened at the word 'betray' and the slightest bit of guilt tinged his expression.  
  
Mutant or not, a human was a human, and the word 'betray' always left a sour taste in their mouths.  
  
Kurt fidgeted, gnawing on his lip. "I . . . all right. But just until Rogue vakes up. Then I go to the Professor."  
  
"If you still want to." Kurama allowed his lips to bend into a relieved smile. "Thank you, Kurt."  
  
"Hm." Kurt's tail was still twitching in agitation. "Do you think the others are looking for us?"  
  
"Doubtlessly," was Hiei's dry response. "But in a place this big? If we wait for them, we'll be here until the apocalypse comes."  
  
Kurama turned curiously when he heard Yuusuke let out a low, irritated growl, muffled by his curled-up position. ="G'dammit, K'rama, y'r s'pposed t' be th' smart one here."= Then he raised his voice somewhat to carry to Kurt's ears. "Kurt, how hard would't be t' *bamph* around an' find the others?"  
  
Kurt jumped at suddenly being addressed. "Ah . . . vell, not very hard."  
  
"Would you?"  
  
"I . . . I guess so, but Rogue---"  
  
Yuusuke growled again, and Kurama wisely stepped in to prevent Kurt's untimely exposure to the wrath of an irritated Toushin. "We'll keep an eye on her. I swear."  
  
"But---"  
  
Hiei sneered. "The sooner you go find the others, the sooner we get back to the Institute."  
  
Kurt mulled over that for a moment, but in the end he eased Rogue's head out of his lap and rose to his feet. "All right."  
  
Kurama suppressed a smile. "Will you have any trouble finding the others?"  
  
"No." Kurt shook his head. "I'll just *bamph* to the van and have a look around. If they are not there, I vill scout around in the mall."  
  
"Very well. We'll go ahead to the van and wait for you." Kurama smile transformed into an amused grin. "Yuusuke isn't looking too happy, and Rogue will do better lying in the van than on this cement."  
  
Kurt nodded in understanding, flicked his inducer back on, and disappeared in a cloud of sulfurous smoke.  
  
As soon as Kurt had vanished from sight, Hiei turned to glare at Kurama. ="Explain, fox. The girl knows more than HE does at the moment, and you advised him to ask her about us? What are you DOING?"=  
  
Kurama quirked a small half-smile. ="I'm taking a chance."=  
  
="We can't AFFORD that now!"=  
  
The kitsune sighed softly, the smile disappearing. ="We don't have any other choice."=  
  
With that, the red-haired demon turned and began to gather Rogue's limp form into his arms, taking special care to avoid touching what little bit of her skin was still exposed. Hiei 'hn'ed before disappearing from sight, doubtlessly preferring to travel via the shadowy perches high overhead rather than on the ground.  
  
Kurama turned to face Yuusuke even as the Toushin was laboriously pushing himself to his feet.  
  
="Can you walk?"=  
  
="Shut up and start sniffing out the damn van."=  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
In Yuusuke's opinion, they couldn't reach the van fast enough. He wanted nothing more than to curl up somewhere nice and dark and go to sleep . . . well, that or transform to his demon form and find an oni or two to kick around. The second option wasn't very feasible, though, so he was prepared to settle for the first.  
  
Had he not been so focused on . . . other matters . . . he might have found some humor in the sight of the infamous Kurama carrying a human girl 'bridal style' through a mall parking garage.  
  
He could feel the weight of Kurama's eyes on him.  
  
="Yuusuke---?"=  
  
Yuusuke bit back an annoyed snarl, his jaw and his fists clenched, his narrowed gaze intent upon the section of asphalt directly before his feet. ="Kurama . . . not now. Just . . . don't talk . . . I'm a hair away from transforming, and NO ONE wants THAT."=  
  
Kurama was silent.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Logan stood at the end of the hallway that connected the parking garage with the mall itself. He glared at the thick crowds milling aimlessly around, and he couldn't help but think of the phrase 'needle in a haystack.' That was what they were stuck looking for, after all. A handful of teenagers inside a huge place that was swarming with people.  
  
He turned to face the group of tense mutants standing behind him: Ororo, Jean, Kitty, Jubilee, and Rahne.  
  
"All right," he said at last. "Here's the deal. We split up into two groups and go left and right. If you find Chibi, Rogue, or the others, head back to the van. We'll meet back there in thirty minutes. Clear?"  
  
Nods --both hesitant and confident-- were his only answers.  
  
That, and a very loud *BAMPH*.  
  
"Oh, vow! I can't believe it! And only my third try!"  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke waited with barely restrained impatience as Kurama fiddled with the locks on the van doors. Damn it, the fox was supposed to be the greatest thief ever to come from Makai; surely he could unlock a simple car door?  
  
He shook his head to clear it of the oddly violent and impatient thoughts. This was getting ridiculous.  
  
Yuusuke would be the first to admit that he had a short fuse, but these . . . What could he even call them? Instincts? . . . were reaching a new extreme. He had never been so susceptible to his demon side before, and the part of him that still relied upon his human thoughts was greatly disquieted by the thin margin by which he was avoiding complete loss of control.  
  
He took in Hiei's tense stance, and the rigid set of Kurama's shoulders.  
  
They knew as well; doubtlessly they could feel his youki. They knew how easily he could be pushed to letting his demon instincts take over . . .  
  
At last! Kurama finished his meddling with the lock, and the side door of the van slid aside with a metallic rumble.  
  
The irritation returned as he waited for Kurama to gather Rogue's limp form from where he had been forced to lay her beside the van; it took --what seemed to Yuusuke-- a damnably long time for the kitsune to place the unconscious human on the row of seats furthest back in the vehicle and then for Kurama to climb in himself.  
  
Hiei merely stood to one side of the door, showing no inclination to get inside the vehicle until it was absolutely necessary.  
  
Yuusuke stepped inside and slid into the seat beside Kurama with a silent sigh of relief.  
  
As soon as he had settled himself in as comfortable a position as possible, he folded his arms over his chest and shut his eyes, focusing every ounce of his will on beating back the youki that was pressing insistently against his control.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurama's face was impassive as always as he quietly kept an eye on the weary Toushin, but even from where he stood outside the van, when he looked into the vehicle's interior, Hiei could easily read the confusion and uneasiness within the kitsune's emerald-green eyes.  
  
="Hiei, what did she do to him? He's never had a reaction like this to anything before."=  
  
Hiei snorted. ="He's never been on the receiving end of a mutant's vampire touch, now, has he?"=  
  
Kurama frowned. ="'Vampire' ?"=  
  
The Jaganshi absently noted that the levels of youki within Yuusuke were still abnormally high, and they didn't look like they would fall any time soon. ="It's the closest comparison I can make. The girl, Rogue . . . her touch pulls energy out of you, like a vampire-apparition drains blood from it's victims. My Jagan protected me somewhat, and it seems as though she isn't as suited to draining youki, but she pulled a large amount of reiki from Yuusuke."=  
  
Kurama arched an eyebrow. ="He's been low on reiki before."=  
  
Hiei remained silent for a short time, attempting to put his observations and conclusions into words. His mind had been gnawing on the puzzle that was Rogue's powers ever since Yuusuke had been touched by the mutant girl.  
  
="It is more of an imbalance,"= he said at last. ="When she touched me, my youki multiplied as a defensive response, but her powers couldn't pull very much of it out of me, leaving me to deal with the excess. As my body is accustomed to dealing with high levels of youki, the largest difficulty I encountered was a headache, and creating the shields helped with that somewhat."=  
  
="So, her power is the ability to drain reiki? But you didn't have any reiki to drain, so . . ."=  
  
="I lost a token amount of youki to her, not enough to fuel even a half- second burst of demon-speed."=  
  
Kurama nodded his understanding even as one hand was reaching back into his hair and withdrawing a seed. ="I can sense for myself that Yuusuke's youki is abnormally high, just as yours is. So that is the problem? A youki-to- reiki imbalance?"=  
  
Hiei's eyes tracked Kurama's hands as the kitsune cradled a small, newly- sprouted Makai plant --mundane in appearance-- in his palms. Kurama calmly pulled two of the tear-shaped leaves from their stems just before the plant shrunk back to it's seed-state and was hidden away in his hair once more.  
  
Hiei frowned but answered. ="Hn. His demon side wants out, but he's suppressing it. As a result, his body is doing it's best to conserve all the energy it can."=  
  
The kitsune held one of the leaves out to him. ="Here. Place it under your tongue. It should last until we get to the mansion"=  
  
The Jaganshi blinked in surprise. ="What?"=  
  
Kurama looked at him calmly. ="You mentioned a headache, did you not?"=  
  
Hiei accepted the leaf.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Keeping his eyes clenched firmly shut against the roaring headache thrumming around within his head, Yuusuke focused most of his willpower upon restraining the huge amounts of youki that raged against his control.  
  
He was aware of Hiei and Kurama murmuring quietly to one another. Their voices echoed around inside his skull painfully, intensifying the discomfort. Every muscle in his body burned and ached, and it felt as though there was something swelling within his head, trying to make his skull explode.  
  
Then someone was touching his shoulder, shaking him lightly, and he cracked open one eye to peer up at the blurry visage of Kurama. ="What?"= he growled, firmly forcing down the part of himself that snarled in fury that another demon would dare stand over HIM, as though he were a low-class that would submit to their will.  
  
Something small and cool was pressed into his hand. ="This is a jimnathe leaf, a mild painkiller. Put it under your tongue; it should ease the headache."=  
  
Yuusuke obeyed, even the small movement of raising his hand to his mouth sending jolts of fire up and down his arm. Thankfully, within a few minutes, the pain lessened from 'torture-for-those-inhabiting-the-seventh- level-of-hell' to merely 'agonizing-but-bearable.' It was a notable improvement, and he was able to slip into a semi-doze. He was barely aware of the sudden arrival of many other voices and the subsequent rumble of the van's engine starting.  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
A/N: I may not do review responses again for a while. I'm generally stuck doing most of my good writing late at night, and by the time I get a chapter done, I'm too sleepy to write coherent review responses. But, hey, you'll survive.  
  
Quick note: Someone requested the URL of the page explaining the Four Realms that I had put in the pre-story chapter. I looked for the page, but when I went to the URL, the page wouldn't load. Sorry. I think that it might have been taken down. 


	22. Infirmaries and Irritation

Thanks to all of my patient (and not so patient) reviewers for not killing me. My computer had a major epileptic attack and had to be sent away for emergency surgery. I just recently got it back and convinced it that, yes, it IS in its best interest to let me post my stories.  
  
Now, for fear of being attacked by 'evil sponges' glances dubiously at a recent review I hereby present you with the next chapter of Mission X.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
I have a new piece of FANART up on Mediaminer.org entitled "DEMON IN MY VIEW." (I hope the site is up and running if you go visit. Does anyone know a more reliable site to post fanart on? A FREE site? With lots of memory space?)  
  
Anyway, it's a shaded drawing of Yuusuke when he's inside the mall parking garage trying to resist his demon side, and there's an image of Toushin Yuusuke looming over him. It's my best work yet as far as shading goes, so be sure to check it out, and it wouldn't hurt for you to leave a review while you visit, now, would it?  
  
http : w w w . mediaminer . org / fanart / view . php / 161885  
  
And there's also this picture, "THREE REASONS," which is of Yuusuke, Hiei and Kurama standing together with a five-tailed fox, black dragon, and phoenix behind them. Drawn and shaded in pencil. Check it out and drop me a review!  
  
http : w w w . mediaminer . org / fanart / view . php / 162865  
  
Copy, paste, remove the spaces, and hit enter.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything of Edgar Allen Poe's.  
  
The kitsune information in this story (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : w w w . comnet . ca / foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm . I used some snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.  
  
- : - : - Chapter Twenty: Infirmaries and Irritation - : - : -  
  
Hank McCoy was thankful for Charles' ability to speak to him mentally. Otherwise, the cavalcade bearing the three victims of the 'close-encounter of the Rogue kind' would have arrived to a distinctly unprepared infirmary.  
  
However, Charles WAS able to communicate mind-to-mind, and therefore the professor was able to give Hank the necessary warning. Thus there were three beds made up and ready for the victims' arrival, and all the tools and medications the blue-furred doctor thought might be necessary were laid out on a nearby table.  
  
First to enter was Logan, his mouth set in a grim line, bearing the limp form of Rogue in his arms, and beside him came Kurt sans his hologram disguise, golden eyes locked upon the unconscious form of his friend. Jean followed at their heels, and behind her came three teenage boys that could only be the new students that Hank had heard so much about.  
  
Hank motioned for Logan to place Rogue on the bed nearest the door, and then he turned to face the new students, putting on his best 'Just-relax- and-please-don't-run-away-screaming-I'm-a-perfectly-rational-being' smile, hoping that his fangs wouldn't appear TOO prominent.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Had Hiei not been able to clearly smell 'mutant' all over the blue-furred creature in front of him, he would most likely have slashed first and asked questions later. Even in comparison to Kurt --blue fur, fangs, gold eyes and all-- this mutant appeared far more bestial than should have been possible.  
  
="It is a sad day when a human looks more demonic than some demons do,"= he murmured to Kurama.  
  
The kitsune merely shot an admonishing look toward his companion before proceeding further into the infirmary --for all intents and purposes ignoring the strange mutant-- as Yuusuke made a beeline for one of the beds and settled himself on the edge of the mattress with a near-inaudible sigh of relief.  
  
Instinctively, Hiei also moved into the room, striding past Yuusuke to stand against the wall at the head of the Toushin's chosen bed, a place from which Hiei could easily watch all activity going on in the good-sized room as well as keep an eye on Yuusuke himself.  
  
Kurama sneezed softly --No doubt the fox's nose was bothered by the many different chemical scents wafting through the air.-- before moving to sit on the bed beyond Yuusuke's, his eyes alert as he watched the burly, blue- furred mutant who, after giving the three demons one last, measuring look, moved over to examine Rogue.  
  
Amusingly enough, Logan had settled himself against the wall at the head of Rogue's bed, unconsciously mimicking Hiei's own position, right down to the dangerous scowl and the crossed arms.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Unknown to the other people within the infirmary, while Hank was examining Rogue he was also carrying on a running conversation with Charles.  
  
:Will she be all right?: came the Professor's worried query.  
  
Deftly slipping the earpieces of a stethoscope into his ears and placing the metal disk firmly against the girl's chest, the doctor timed Rogue's heartbeat. The beats, though faint and somewhat fast, were evenly spaced and showed no signs of abnormalities. :She should be fine,: he replied. :It merely appears as though she had a bit of an overload. You told me that our newcomers are all very powerful; perhaps draining one of them was a shock to her system?:  
  
:Who exactly did she touch? It would be best to know in advance what powers to expect her to have acquired when she regains consciousness.:  
  
:Good point.: Hank removed the stethoscope from his ears and looped it around the back of his neck. He glanced around at the infirmary's occupants. "Who did she touch? Do any of you know?"  
  
Logan's and Jean's eyes immediately went to Kurt, who, in turn, fidgeted and looked toward the young red-haired mutant sitting on one of the beds down the row. Hank looked between the blue-furred boy and the new student for several moments, frowning.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Kurama mentally smirked at Kurt's obvious reluctance to say anything that might violate their prior agreement to 'wait on Rogue.' Smart boy. He would have done well as a kitsune, if he had learned to mask his expression more effectively.  
  
"She touched both Yuusuke and Hiei," the kitsune broke in smoothly, calmly looking the 'doctor' in the eye as he spoke, "though Hiei's 'encounter' was the longer of the two. . . If I might ask, exactly what side-effects can we expect from this?"  
  
The doctor blinked. "Well, for starters, in normal cases, they wouldn't be conscious for another hour or so."  
  
Damn. Another abnormality for the Reikai Tantei. Their 'acting inconspicuous' plan was sinking ever-closer to the proverbial drain.  
  
Nodding, Kurama filed that bit of information away, his youko side already plotting ahead to various plausible reasons for Yuusuke's and Hiei's strong resistance to Rogue's powers. "I see."  
  
The doctor's eyes went from Kurama to Hiei to Yuusuke. "So, who's Hiei and who's Yuusuke?"  
  
In response, Yuusuke grunted irritably and Hiei voiced his standard 'hn.' Kurama hid a smirk. Very talkative, the both of them were.  
  
Unfazed, the doctor picked up a blanket folded at the foot of Rogue's bed, letting it fall open and settling it over the unconscious girl, tucking the edges in snugly. That done, he turned and began to make his way toward Yuusuke, obviously judging him to be the one most in need of medical assistance.  
  
"All right then, . . . Yuusuke or Hiei?"  
  
"Yuus'ke," mumbled the demon.  
  
The doctor nodded. ". . . Yuusuke. I'm Hank McCoy. If you could just lie back on the bed, I'll give you a once-over and see what I can do to help."  
  
Kurama couldn't see Yuusuke's face from this angle, but the Toushin tipped his head back and --if the doctor's surprised expression was anything to go by-- glared up at the burly mutant. "Believe me when I say that it's in both our best interests when I say 'no.'"  
  
Frankly, Kurama would have been greatly worried if Yuusuke had complied. Lying on the bed would have entailed assuming a submissive position, belly and neck exposed and vulnerable while another being stood over him, that was all-too-close to some of the subservient positions assumed by demons showing obeisance to those beings stronger than themselves. The doctor had just told Yuusuke to do as much as show complete and utter submission to him.  
  
S-class demons didn't submit to ANYONE.  
  
Not without a fight.  
  
Of course, being from Ningenkai, the doctor didn't understand the implications of his request. "No?"  
  
"It's a headache," insisted the Toushin firmly. "That's all that's wrong with me. Give me some Tylenol or something and I'll survive."  
  
The doctor --McCoy-- frowned, undecided, but apparently a life of dealing with stubborn mutant patients with destructive powers had taught him that discretion was the better part of valor. He walked over to one of the tables lining the walls and picked up one of the many bottles that cluttered its surface. Undoing the cap, he shook two pills out into his palm and returned to Yuusuke's side, holding them out toward the Toushin.  
  
"Here you are, then. Do you need water?"  
  
In answer, Yuusuke plucked the two capsules out of the man's furry hand/palm and popped them into his mouth. McCoy moved away, going to one of the cabinets along the opposite wall and digging through their contents for something or another.  
  
Kurama frowned minutely.  
  
="I would advise that you don't swallow that, My Lord."=  
  
The Toushin turned slightly, pinning the kitsune with one ruby-tinted brown eye. ="And why is that?"= he replied, the pills tucked into his cheek.  
  
="Medicine is medicine, whether Makai-based or otherwise. I don't know how human medicines would react with what I planned on giving you later. What would you rather: six hours of slightly dulled pain, or a night of no pain at all?"=  
  
The Toushin brought one hand up to his mouth and coughed lightly, as though clearing his throat. Casually, he brought that selfsame hand back down to the bed, dropping two saliva-dampened pills onto the sheet, out of the sight of the mutants in the room.  
  
Kurama leaned forward as though whispering something to the other boy, reaching out to scoop up the pills with one hand and hide them from sight until he could find a garbage can.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
:Kurt?:  
  
Kurt started violently where he was crouched on the foot of Rogue's infirmary bed. :Pro-Professor?:  
  
:What happened, Kurt? None of the others know anything beyond that Rogue touched one of the new students. Can you tell me anything more?:  
  
Kurt's gaze locked with the impossibly keen, emerald gaze of Shuichi. The red-haired not-mutant arched one eyebrow in query, almost as though he knew that the professor of the Xavier Institute for Exceptionally Gifted Youngsters was currently prodding insistently at Kurt's psyche, seeking answers.  
  
:Professor . . .: Kurt withdrew slightly from the other's presence, tucking his thoughts out of the other's 'sight,' hating what he was about to do.  
  
:No, Professor,: he lied. :I saw her touch Hiei and Yuusuke. I don't know anything else.:  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Logan watched the three new students with suspicion clear in his eyes.  
  
Even after first meeting them, he hadn't known quite what to make of them, and now, weeks later, they were still a mystery.  
  
He didn't like mysteries.  
  
First off, how in the WORLD did Yuusuke and Hiei get away from touching Rogue with just headaches to show for their troubles? Any other mutant who 'met' her that way would have been laid out flat for the better part of a couple of hours.  
  
As far as their fighting skills went, Logan was suspicious about those as well.  
  
Whatever Chuck might say about the benefits of 'training with a martial arts master,' Logan knew better. The three boys knew how to FIGHT, not just how to perform the movements correctly. Yuusuke had all the earmarks of someone who knew street fighting intimately, and Hiei's skill with that sword of his went beyond simple kendo training. Shuichi . . .  
  
Shuichi was the most secretive of the lot, for all that he tried to appear open and unthreatening. He had a keen mind and quick wits, with even quicker reflexes, Logan realized, thinking back on the incident in Japan . . .  
  
When Logan had showed his claws to Yuusuke and Shuichi, Yuusuke had tensed, but Shuichi had reached toward his hair, an action that had puzzled Logan at the time.  
  
But Logan now knew that Shuichi stored his seeds, his weapons, in his hair.  
  
The boy had been ready to fight.  
  
Logan frowned at the sudden revelation.  
  
Moreover, the three newcomers had been in life-threatening situations before. Their attitudes whenever they were in a fight or felt threatened said it as plain as day. They knew danger, and they knew how to deal with it. Hell, the Danger Room hadn't fazed ANY of them, and even Logan had done a double-take at a couple of the tricks that murder-machine had thrown his way!  
  
The trio knew more than they were willing to tell, and they were dangerous. Logan was now certain of that, after seeing their cool, blasé attitudes toward the Danger Room and Rogue's powers.  
  
Logan wanted answers.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Hiei narrowed his eyes at the burly, blue-furred monstrosity that the Institute had employed as their 'doctor.'  
  
"No."  
  
The mutant narrowed his own eyes in response. "Just sit down on one of the beds and let me take your heartbeat and temperature."  
  
"As Yuusuke said," Hiei replied in a low, even voice, "It is a headache. Nothing more. I've suffered far worse in training bouts."  
  
Well, THAT was true enough. One didn't grow up in Makai raised on strawberries and cream and handled by kid gloves, after all.  
  
The doctor sighed, sounding irritated. "Very well." He went to the same table as before and retrieved two more of the tiny, human-medicine caplets before returning to Hiei. "I suppose you won't be needing water either?"  
  
Without replying, Hiei took the two pills from the blue-furred palm and mimed putting them in his mouth and swallowing, all the while keeping the pills firmly tucked inside his fist. The doctor watched this with a small frown, then nodded abruptly and returned to Rogue's bedside.  
  
Hiei smirked.  
  
="These mutants,"= he murmured. ="No demon would have fallen for such a trick."=  
  
Kurama nodded. ="Indeed. But it makes things easier for us, doesn't it?"=  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
When the door of the infirmary opened once more, all heads turned toward the sound. Relief showed clear on many of the mutants' faces when the figure of Charles Xavier was revealed in the doorway.  
  
Yuusuke merely rested his elbows on his knees and leaned his forehead against his fists, wishing greatly that he would be able to get OUT of the infirmary and AWAY from all the mutants before he absolutely had to release some of his youki. Containing so much power was a strain on his system. Usually when he was possessed of such high levels of youki, he was using it up as swiftly as his body could produce it in an attempt to win a fight, save the world, or rescue Keiko from her latest demonic attacker.  
  
Reining in so much energy was an exercise in mental control that even the Grandma couldn't top.  
  
The professor first checked on Rogue's condition; Yuusuke could clearly hear the professor's soft, murmured conversation with Logan and Hank. They conversed for several minutes, and then the professor made his way toward the Tantei.  
  
The rasping-squeak of the old man's wheelchair drew ever closer to him, and Yuusuke was finally forced to look up and meet the mutant's gaze when it was obvious the old man was sitting in front of him waiting for a response.  
  
Yuusuke restrained the scowl that wanted to display itself prominently upon his face, and instead he settled for a nice, blunt, "What?"  
  
The professor appeared unfazed. "I was merely wondering how you were feeling."  
  
"'ve got a killer headache, and I want t' go sleep. How's that?"  
  
"Better than many others would expect after being touched by Rogue," replied the man calmly.  
  
Yuusuke grunted, maintaining eye-contact with the mutant.  
  
The professor seemed to examine him for several moments before speaking once more. "I can understand your need for rest, so I won't detain you any longer. But if you, Shuichi, and Hiei--" The professor made contact with each person as he named them. "--could all come to my office sometime tomorrow, I'd like to ask you a few questions about what transpired today."  
  
Yuusuke resigned himself to facing the nosy human at some point during the next day. "Fine."  
  
"Of course," replied Kurama politely.  
  
Hiei sneered. "Hn."  
  
Xavier smiled slightly. "Good. Now, if Hank is satisfied that you won't collapse if you leave the infirmary, perhaps he can be convinced to let you leave?"  
  
The last seemed more directed at the doctor than at any of the Tantei, and Hank frowned slightly at the professor. Where he stood at Rogue's bedside, hooking up various wires and monitors, the blue-furred doctor's gaze went from Yuusuke to Hiei and back again.  
  
"I suppose," he allowed grudgingly. "But be sure to come straight back here if you get dizzy or the pain gets worse, understood?"  
  
Yuusuke was already standing and striding toward the door, Kurama and Hiei at his heels.  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
:Logan.:  
  
:Yeah, Chuck?:  
  
:From now on, I want you to keep a closer eye on those three. They appear to have a more of a tendency for trouble than we thought.:  
  
:I'm already on it.:  
  
- : - : - : - : - : -  
  
Yuusuke's teeth were clenched and his eyes narrowed as he strode purposefully through the halls of the mansion. Kurama and Hiei flanked him on either side, and the few students that they encountered in the hallways couldn't get out of the trio's way fast enough --no one could ever say that any of the X-men possessed anything but commendable instincts for danger, and at that moment, Yuusuke was Danger Incarnate.  
  
He shoved the door to his room open forcefully, sending it crashing back into the wall, and Hiei and Kurama were only barely able to slip inside before he slammed the door shut and locked it.  
  
He let loose a low growl even as he ever-so-slightly slackened the hold upon his raging youki. A blue glow highlighted his form, but he forced himself to hold back from a full transformation. Someone could walk in, or the room could be under surveillance. A blue light could be explained away; a complete stranger standing in place of one of the Institute's new students could NOT.  
  
The pressure of the high levels of energy pressing against his control abated slightly, enough so that the headache lessened to a bearable ache.  
  
="You will not rid yourself of so much extra energy through THAT,"= said Hiei from where he leaned against the wall.  
  
Yuusuke snarled, his fangs prominent. ="I will NOT transform in the heart of human territory. We've screwed up too many times already to be careless now."=  
  
Kurama looked thoughtful. ="Then we must find a place where you CAN transform. Your youki will not wane away by itself."=  
  
Yuusuke's eyes flashed ruby for a moment as he glared at the kitsune. ="I KNOW THAT."=  
  
Kurama raised his hands, palms outward, in a placating gesture. ="I am merely attempting to help."=  
  
Yuusuke turned away, clenching his eyes shut, silently berating himself for his near-loss of control. ="Sorry."=  
  
Hiei watched the exchange with gleaming, blood-red eyes. ="Lord Yuusuke, you are only having this difficulty because your body is accustomed to holding both youki and reiki. If we can wait for your reiki to regenerate somewhat, you won't be as susceptible to your demon side."=  
  
Yuusuke sneered at the Jaganshi. ="That's wonderful, Hiei, but I still need to get rid of a hell of a lot of youki before I'm back to normal."=  
  
Hiei returned the Toushin's gaze coolly. ="I am well aware of that. However, if you have more reiki to balance out your youki, you'll have more control . . . enough control to last until we can reach a place for you to transform."=  
  
Kurama's eyes glittered with trace amounts of gold. ="Perhaps this can work in our advantage."=  
  
Yuusuke looked at the kitsune, his gaze intent. ="I'm open to suggestions."=  
  
="Well, we know that we're searching for someone with links to a demon, correct?"= Kurama drew one hand through his hair meditatively. ="No matter where one travels in Ningenkai, there is always a nearby place where demons gather."=  
  
="The Barrier's closed, Kurama,"= Yuusuke pointed out. ="There shouldn't be enough demons TO gather."=  
  
Hiei snorted. ="It is ridiculously easy for low-levels to slip through the barriers between worlds."=  
  
="Indeed."= Kurama smiled slightly. ="But as I was saying, if there happens to be a gathering place nearby, it is likely that Black Tempest will frequent it. What better time would there be for us to visit such a place other than when you are at your most . . . demonic?"=  
  
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -  
  
No review responses again. Gomen, ne.  
  
But here's some advertising!  
  
I now have four poems and the first chapter of an original, fantasy story up on [ w w w . fictionpress . com / kuromeshiretsu ]. (Now, children, WHAT are you supposed to do with that link?) Come, read, and review, onegai!  
  
KITTENGRL39, aren't you happy? I'm expecting a review from you! 


	23. Breaking Curfew

Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything of Edgar Allen Poe's.

The kitsune information in this story (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : w w w . comnet . ca / foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm . I used some snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.

- : - : - : - : - : -

I've had to alter my markings for various languages due to some new quirks of 

Now it's "_Japanese_" and "**Makai dialect**."

- : - : - **Chapter Twenty-One:** _Breaking Curfew _- : - : -

The aura was truly unique. A core of plain, white human reiki was surrounded by a swirling cloak of blazing, blue-white reiki, deep, cobalt youki, and black, violet, and red youki, creating a veritable rainbow of energy around the simple, human soul to which the energies were attached.

It was strange, Hiei reflected, to sense the odd blend of Yuusuke's and Rogue's energies that lay dormant at the far end of the Insitute, giving him a reading not unlike that of a battle-weakened Yuusuke lying unconscious somewhere, when Hiei could clearly sense the wellspring of Yuusuke's vibrant youki just a room away in the company of Kurama's gold and emerald presence.

Even stranger was the occasional flicker of Hiei's own energy amidst the unique blend of energy that was Rogue.

It was quite disconcerting.

His bared Jagan glowing a deep violet, the Jaganshi drew in long, slow breaths of the cool night air coming in through the open window as he continued to monitor the surrounding human auras, waiting patiently for the final few to fall dormant, signaling that it was safe for the Tantei to set out.

The only humans left awake were Logan and Kurt. Kurt was somewhere downstairs, most likely in the kitchen, and Hiei dismissed him as a threat; they wouldn't be leaving through the front door, after all. The only true threat was Logan, whose heightened senses might possibly pick up something abnormal and alert him to the Tantei's extracurricular activities.

But Logan was in his rooms, and the turmoil in his aura was slowly dying away, bit by bit. Soon, Hiei knew, the mutant would be deep in slumber.

Just a few more minutes.

- : - : - : - : - : -

One crimson-brown eye cracked open to glare across the dimly-lit room at the silver figure --currently shrouded within a veil of ever-moving, green-gold light-- seated upon the windowsill.

"Would you knock that off, already?" snapped Yuusuke irritably from where he sat propped against the headboard of the bed, arms crossed and chin tucked against his chest.

Kurama's amber eyes searched the Toushin's shadowed face inquisitively, gray-furred ears pricked as though to say 'What?'

"The light show, fox-boy," growled Yuusuke. "Cut it out. We're still in the heart of humans-ville. Your youko form is risky enough; we don't need to be giving more clues to the humans . . . and it's annoying me."

"Ah." The glow died away immediately. "My apologies." The youko smiled, revealing sharp fangs. "Moonlight is . . . exhilarating to me." A moment passed, then Kurama tilted his head to one side, as though pondering something. "Cats bask in sunlight. I suppose it makes a sort of sense that foxes --being canine-- would bask in moonlight."

"Moonlight, shmoonlight." The ruby eye closed once more, its owner appearing to be completely asleep. "Just save the fireworks for battling, got it?"

The corners of the kitsune's eyes tilted upward ever-so-slightly in amusement. "Of course."

The door linking Yuusuke's room to Kurama's snapped open and shut within the space of a heartbeat, and Hiei was suddenly standing at the foot of the bed, red eyes gleaming brightly in the darkness.

"It's clear."

- : - : - : - : - : -

Cool night air, wet earth, and the soothing scent of green, growing things enveloped Rahne. Quiet breezes whispered through her fur, setting the leaves overhead to rustling, and the thick grass beneath her cushioned her body better than any man-made pillow ever could have. The cinnamon-brown wolf whuffed contentedly, drifting in that heavenly place midway between awake and asleep.

The musty scent of rabbit drifted over her, and the sweet scent of night-blooming flowers, followed swiftly by the smell of . . .

Her eyes snapped open.

Smoke . . . and fire? And some other scent . . . musty, some animal that she had never encountered . . .

The wolf raised her head, abruptly wide awake, and peered around the dense forest undergrowth suspiciously, ears pricked, fur bristling.

Technically, she wasn't supposed to be outside. Students at the Institute were subjected to a strict curfew unless excused by some teacher, but Rahne had always tended to grow restless when enclosed indoors for long periods. Tonight, the forest had beckoned . . .

And now, the forest seemed to have beckoned something other than Rahne into their depths. Something foreign . . .

Something dangerous.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Wind twined playfully through the thick mane of jet-black hair that fell down the demon's back, and the moonlight clearly highlighted the blue-black markings adorning his cheeks, shoulders, and arms. Ruby eyes glinted with emotion akin to the excitement felt by a predator at the beginning of a hunt.

Clad in a loose gi of deep blue and black, Yuusuke had never felt more ready for a good brawl.

He, feeling daring, walked brazenly down the wide driveway leading off Institute grounds. Occasionally he would catch a flicker of silver or black out of the corner of his eye, reassuring him of his two companions' presences. No doubt, Kurama was thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to get up close and personal with the local flora, and Hiei was probably cursing --mentally, anyway-- at the slow pace set by the Toushin, but Yuusuke was savoring the rare sense of complete freedom that this semi-solo walk brought, and he had no intention of cutting the expedition short by hurrying.

Only when the tall, brick wall that separated the Institute from the outside world came into sight did he quicken his pace. Completely ignoring the towering, wrought-iron gate, he leapt forward, using a convenient tree as a stepping stone of sorts and landing gracefully atop the wall . . . a wall which was roughly two feet wide. Hiei appeared at his side within a split-second, and shortly after that, a multi-tailed, silver fox drifted silently across a slender branch to step daintily onto the wall-top.

Three pairs of eyes intently scanned the empty two-lane road running outside the wall.

"So, Hiei," murmured Yuusuke, "have you gotten a fix on this so-called demon 'hotspot'?"

"To the north," answered the Jaganshi promptly.

"That's precise."

"I can narrow it down as we grow nearer."

"And north would be . . . ?"

"To the left, Detective."

"Right." Yuusuke settled into an easy crouch. Hiei frowned down at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting," replied the Toushin, smirking.

"For WHAT?"

Yuusuke chuckled softly. "Settle down, tri-clops. We're waiting for a ride. You didn't think that we'd run all the way to wherever-the-hell-it-is, did you?"

Hiei arched an eyebrow. "Don't tell me that you plan to hitchhike."

The fox let out a soft bark of amusement, golden eyes glinting.

Yuusuke smiled secretively. "After a fashion. Now shush."

- : - : - : - : - : -

Logan disliked many things. Those things included, but were not limited to, garlic, fresh-cut onions, rats, the 'dog-days' of summer, Magneto, and top-secret military organizations.

Being woken up in the middle of the night also qualified.

The faint voice from outside, however, refused to silence itself for his convenience. "LOGAN! Wake up, ye silly, metal-headed goon! We've got visitors! WOULD YE BLOODY WELL WAKE UP ALREADY?!"

Flinging the covers aside, Logan strode swiftly to the window of his room and threw it open, glaring down at the diminutive figure of Rahne below.

"WHAT," he demanded tersely, "are you hollering about in the middle of the night?"

The wolf-girl placed her fists upon her hips and glared up at him boldly, looking thoroughly put-out. "I TOLD ye! We've got visitors! Strangers on Institute grounds! SO WILL YE GO AHEAD AND GIT DOWN 'ERE ALREADY?"

There was the distinctive rasp of another window opening, and Ororo's voice, slurred with fatigue, drifted out into the night. "What are the two of you shouting about?"

Rahne let out a loud snarl of frustration, sounding very much like her wolf-self. "THERE ARE WHO-KNOWS-HOW-MANY BLOODY BEDAMNED STRANGERS WAND'RING 'ROUND THE GROUNDS LIKE A BLOODY BUNCH O' DRUNKARDS, AND YE AREN'T DOIN' A DAMN THING ABOUT IT! THAT'SWHAT I'M SHOUTIN' ABOUT!"

"Rahne!" scolded Ororo. "Watch your language!"

- : - : - : - : - : -

Yuusuke tilted his head slightly, turning his gaze back toward the far-distant mansion that he could just make out over the tops of the forest trees. He frowned. "Did you hear something?"

Hiei looked back to the Institute as well. ". . . shouting." He scowled. "One of the humans must have woken up."

Yuusuke bared his fangs in irritation. "Well, damn." He shifted, his long hair drifting in the ever-present breezes of the night as he looked down the road in each direction. "We've got a few minutes' grace before they get here, at least. You'd best make yourself scarce, Hiei. You're the only one that they'd be able to recognize."

There was a flicker of black, a rush of wind, and the Jaganshi disappeared. Yuusuke smirked in satisfaction, and he and his fox companion returned to their road-watching, awaiting the appearance of their unsuspecting ride.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Kurama kept his ears tuned back toward the mansion as much as possible, wary for any sounds of approach. Yuusuke seemed to know this, keeping his senses focused upon the road and leaving the kitsune to guard their rear.

However, Kurama was completely unprepared for the possibility that the mutants might approach by air. His only warning was the slightest whiff of tobacco and lightning scents.

He whirled around, his tails swirling after him like some sort of cloak, and he let out a loud warning bark as he caught sight of Logan and Ororo floating in midair nearly twenty feet overhead.

Wait, scratch that. Ororo was floating. Logan was dangling --rather ungracefully-- from Ororo's arms.

Yuusuke had time for a quick, startled, "What the HELL---?" before he was forced into a tricky backward somersault and subsequent handspring to avoid Logan's carefully aimed fall.

Kurama darted swiftly into the canopy of a nearby tree, a growl rumbling in his chest as he debated who to worry over more: Ororo because of her unexpected advantage of flight and the trouble she might cause, or Logan because he was on the verge of pissing off a semi-mentally-unbalanced Yuusuke.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Logan's claws were out and ready as he watched the dark figure vault easily away from him and land gracefully upon the wall several meters away. Wind twined through the figure's long --VERY long-- hair, and was is Logan's imagination, or were the person's eyes glowing red?

Logan shifted his stance to balance more easily upon the narrow top of the wall, feeling decidedly exposed in nothing but the pants he had worn to bed. He spared a quick, sympathetic though for Ororo, who was in the sky somewhere clad in only a nightgown and robe.

He silently vowed that he'd never voice a derogatory comment about his uniform again.

"All right," he growled, "What're you poking around here for? Strangers aren't welcome."

The figure straightened slowly, and Logan could barely make out the familiar shape of a dark gi and what appeared to be tattoos upon the unknown person's face and arms.

"You certainly have a gift for picking the inopportune moment," growled the stranger. "I'm warning you, claw-boy, tonight isn't the time to be getting in my way."

"Well, ain't that just too bad for you."

A slow smirk spread across the stranger's face. "I'm afraid you've got it backwards."

Logan didn't even realize that the stranger had moved until he felt the first hits land.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Rahne ran.

And ran.

And, yes, she ran.

Forest blurred by on either side of her as she raced toward the gates of the Institute, following her nose to the strangers she had sensed earlier. Her breath came fast in her chest, and her heart raced so swiftly that it vibrated more than it actually beat.

Logan would murder her when he learned that she had followed him and Storm. Her ears still hurt from his firm admonition to "STAY, girl."

Yeah, right. She was a wolf, thank you, not some domestic dog.

She would show them. She could fight, she could HELP. And after all, she had been the first one to know of the intruders; she should have a hand --paw?-- in dealing with them.

With complete conviction in her actions, Rahne ran onward through the forest, feeling fully confident . . .

Until the vines caught her.

- : - : - : - : - : -

Ororo let out a choked scream as Logan was flung from the wall as though he were some sort of rag doll. She swept down from the sky as fast as she could, commanding the winds to speed her downward, but the hit had forced Logan away from her, and she knew that she would be too late to save the other mutant from an unhappy landing against the ground.

She needn't have worried.

There was a flash of silver, and another figure appeared. A tall figure, a man.

A man with silver hair.

And golden eyes.

And pointed, furry ears.

A man who held Logan's limp form with unnatural ease, and when he turned to face the other stranger, Ororo could plainly see the silver tail sprouting from the base of his spine.

- : - : - : - : - : -

"**Hold, Yuusuke**." Kurama met the Toushin's glimmering, ruby gaze evenly. "**Mutant or no, he's still a human. You're too strong.**"

Yuusuke chuckled darkly, an eerie sound. "**But Kurama, I'm just playing**."

"**When humans play in the company of demons, death often follows. You'll kill him, Yuusuke**."

Yuusuke shrugged. "**Fine. I'll leave him be. But hurry up before I get bored**."

Kurama nodded his understanding and set Logan's unconscious form down upon the grass. As he straightened, his eyes sought out the hovering form of Ororo who appeared to be looking between Kurama and Yuusuke.

"You can come down," called the kitsune mildly. "Despite popular belief, I do not bite, and I am certain your companion could do with some medical attention. My Lord's strength is not to be taken lightly."

The female mutant hesitated, her eyes narrowed, before descending swiftly to hover several feet above the ground. She looked as though she desperately wished to check on Logan's condition but dared not come any closer to the strange fox-being. She eyed Kurama warily. "What exactly are you?"

Kurama couldn't resist a smirk, his kitsune mischievousness at the fore. "Don't you know?"

Ororo frowned. "Should I?"

The smirk widened, giving the mutant a clear view of his prominent canines. "They call me Youko."

"**Hurry it up, fox-boy. I hear our ride coming. We've got demons to find and asses to kick, if you remember**."

Kurama sighed, glancing up at the shadowy figure of Yuusuke. "So impatient." He executed a short bow toward Ororo. "Goodbye for now, I suppose."

Kurama cocked his head to one side as though listening and turned toward the forest. "And unless I am mistaken, you would do well to check the forest on your way back. A certain canine companion of yours seems to have fallen into a rather . . . tricky . . . situation."

With that, he leapt onto the wall to crouch beside Yuusuke. He immediately caught sight of the small delivery van whirring slowly down the road, headlights dimly highlighting its way. Kurama arched an eyebrow.

"**Our ride?**" he queried mildly.

"**What else?**" Without further ado, Yuusuke leapt off the wall and soon landed squarely upon the center of the van's roof, directly beside the black-clad figure that silently appeared upon the top of the vehicle. Kurama spared one last look for Ororo, who was struggling with Logan's unconscious form, before swiftly following.

- : - : - : - : - : -

From within the intricate snarl of brambles and various other forms of flora, Rahne snarled indignantly to herself.

Forget killing her. Logan would laugh himself to death when he heard of THIS.

- : - : - **_To Be Continued . . ._** - : - : -


	24. More Pieces of the Puzzle

Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything of Edgar Allen Poe's.

The kitsune information in this story (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : w w w . comnet . ca / foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm . I used snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.

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**A/N: **I _cannot_ believe that I did that! I cannot believe that I wrote that Logan had broken bones! Kami-sama on a pogo-stick, I mean, _honestly!_ Someone, shoot me, _please!_I've been watching the series since I was, what, _three?_ Personally, I blame the slip-up on lack of sleep... and sheer stupidity, but _mostly_ lack of sleep. I've gone back and corrected the chapter; it's actually canon now. New chapters are currently halfway down the literary birth canal, so please be patient.

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I've had to alter my markings for various languages due to some new quirks of ff . net.

Now it's "_Japanese_" and "**Makai dialect**."

**- : - : - Chapter Twenty-Two: More Pieces of the Puzzle - : - : -**

The chamber was dark and empty, large enough that every sound, be it even the slightest whisper, bounced against the hard stone walls and echoed throughout the room. The walls were built of marble, gray and cold, free of any ornament. The floor was equally austere, covered in glossy onyx tiles that reflected any movement above with the accuracy of polished mirrors.

Her pale face empty of any emotion, the small girl stood with unnatural stillness before the plush couch which held the lounging form of the Master. The girl's hands dangled limply at her sides, and her brown hair hung lank and unwashed around her face.

Her eyes were locked firmly upon the form of the Master, who was stretched catlike along the length of the couch.

Sensing her gaze, the Master shifted positions slightly, rolling up on one elbow so that piercing violet eyes could peer more closely at the young, silent human. "What is it that you find so interesting about me, pet?" The voice was soft and dark, like velvet, echoing through the room like the purr of a large cat. "Can I not even sleep in peace now?"

Silence.

The Master made a small noise of amusement, laying back against the cushions once more. "You and your staring. Humans_are_ odd creatures."

The girl's head tilted ever-so-slightly, and she blinked once, slowly, like an owl considering whether or not a small creature below was suitable prey.

"Hmph." A low chuckle echoed through the room. "You have your uses for now, my pet, but it's damnably annoying to wake up to your face at all hours of the day. Go stare at one someone else."

Several long minutes passed, and the soft breathing of the Master started to even out in the beginnings of sleep, despite the pale-skinned watcher standing over the couch.

A low knock sounded upon the door, setting the walls to echoing.

The Master growled in annoyance. "Enter, whoever you are, and you had best have a good reason for intruding!"

The door opened a small crack, sending a shaft of white light skittering across the floor, and one of the black-clad guards that the Master depended upon for security slid inside before shutting the door behind himself. Immediately, the guard dropped to his knees, bowing his head respectfully.

"Master?"

"Speak quickly. I'm not in the best of moods at the moment."

"Selena has sent a message, Master. The four underlings you assigned to her have been overcome."

The Master's form abruptly tensed, and the velvety voice became as hard, as cold, and as dangerous as a steel blade. "And the target?"

The guard shivered visibly. "E-escaped, Master."

Silence. The guard's shuddering breath echoed in the vast emptiness of the room, setting the walls to whispering.

"I . . . see." Violet eyes were narrowed in irritation.

"M-Master?"

The Master ignored the guard's stammering, turning instead to smile lazily at the small girl still standing silently beside the couch. "Pet, have you been allowed to play lately?"

The girl's blank eyes showed no change, but the Master chuckled softly anyway. "I didn't think so. Go play, pet. Make some music for me."

The girl blinked slowly, before turning toward the trembling guard who still knelt just within the door. Her eyes slowly focused upon the black-clad figure.

His eyes locked fearfully upon the small girl, the guard tensed. His entire body twitched, then stiffened convulsively. His eyes widened, white showing all around his irises, before rolling back in the skull, and his breath rasped loudly in his throat.

And he screamed.

It wasn't the scream of a man in pain. It was the scream of a being stricken with terror beyond imagining, like the agonized squeal of a rabbit in a snare or the fearful bugle of a stag before it was overcome by wolves.

The scream stretched on and on, setting the walls to echoing like the wailing of thousands of damned souls. Seconds, minutes, perhaps hours passed . . . occasionally the man paused to strain for breath, or the scream would dwindle to a choked whimper, but always the sound returned to the high, tormented shriek of utter terror.

At last, however, the cry faded to wet, gurgling rasp, and the man collapsed forward onto his face. The body jerked spasmodically for a few moments, and then . . .

Stillness.

The girl's eyes slowly regained their former, blank gaze, and the Master made a small sound of satisfaction.

"We'll see how long it takes for someone to come take that away, pet. You may yet have another playmate."

The Master settled back into the cushions of the couch, easily ignoring the corpse lying upon the floor, a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of its mouth to drip upon the polished floor.

: - : - : - : - : -

Seated upon the edge of one of the many infirmary beds, Logan slapped Hank McCoy's probing hands away with an expression of fury upon his rough features. "Get off me, Hank. I'll live."

The doctor merely frowned and continued with his ministrations, still hampered by the smaller mutant's attempts to fend him off. "Listen to me, Logan," he growled in exasperation. "You _will_ sit still and you _will_ be patient while I have a look at those injuries, or I'll get Charles to knock you out so I can work in peace.Your internal organs are bruised, and I wouldn't be surprised if you have internal bleeding, and I refuse to allow you to walk around the Institute in such a state; what ifsomething more when wrong, hmm? Where would you be then?"

Logan's eyes narrowed. "I'd be outside, hunting down the bastard"

:That's _quite_ enough, Logan. You're acting like a child.:

Logan blinked, put off by the terse nature of the professor's mind voice. :Chuck:

The professor's tone softened. :Listen to Hank, Logan. The sooner he cares for your injuries, the sooner we can have you back to your normal health. You'll be no help to us if you injure yourself further.:

:What about the strangers, Chuck? Are you tracking them:

The Professor hesitated for a short moment. :…We're doing what we can. Come see me as soon as Hank is finished with you. You, Ororo, and I all have many things to talk about.:

: - : - : - : - : -

Ororo frowned downward into the shadowy recesses of the plain ceramic mug held tentatively in her trembling hands. The liquid held within was dark brown and steaming hot. From the smell, she assumed that it was hot chocolate. She had yet to drink any; the warmth against her hands was comforting, and she feared that she might spill it if she attempted to raise it to her lips.

Seated across from her, behind the wooden monstrosity that he called a desk, Charles Xavier opened his eyes and let the smallest of sighs escape. "That man…" he muttered, looking somewhere between worried and mildly exasperated.

Ororo felt her lips twitch into a small, uncertain smile. There was only one person whom the professor referred to as '_that man_'… especially while wearing that particular facial expression.

"Logan is awake, I take it?" she queried.

The professor rubbed absently at his temple. "Awake, and furious that he isn't allowed to leave the infirmary _right now_ to hunt down the intruders. He's unbelievable."

"He's _Logan_." Ororo glanced down at the mug once more, and her mood fell again as she saw the telltale shivers dancing across the liquid's surface, betraying the trembling in her hands. "Is he… all right?"

"Bruised and possibly injured internally, as I understand it," Xavier stated. "But, as you say, he _is_ Logan. He'll be hail and whole by noon tomorrow."

Ororo shook her head, not in denial but in disbelief of what she had seen.

"I simply can't wrap my mind around it, Charles. They were _on Institute grounds_, and if Rahne hadn't been outside, we wouldn't have even known it! The Institute's security rivals that of most major government facilities of this country! And the way they... the way _he_ fought_. I never saw him move._"

Charles nodded, his eyes somehow intense and understanding all at once. "Can you tell me what they looked like? You say there were two."

Ororo closed her eyes, attempting to visualize any details that might be of importance.

"Well, the first was very… dark. He wore strange, baggy clothes, dark blue or black, and his hair was so _long_, nearly to his calves, and very wild. His face…" Her eyes opened abruptly. "Tattoos, all over his face, and maybe on his arms, I'm not sure. His eyes… they were almost like a cat's, the pupils reflected light, and they looked red. His voice was very deep, but I don't know what he said. He was… frightening."

"And the other?"

"The first had thrown Logan from the perimeter wall, and I knew I wasn't quick enough to catch him. But then, there was a flash of light, and another man… appeared. He had caught Logan. Saved him. Taller than the first, and broader in the shoulders. He wore robes of some sort, all white. His eyes were gold, and his hair was silvery, and long as well, but only about to his waist, I think. He" Ororo hesitated. "he had… furry ears, like a cat or wolf, and he had a tail… He spoke to the first, and I think he convinced the dark one to leave Logan alone. He set Logan down and spoke to me."

Charles made no comment about her claims as to the second stranger's strange appendages. He merely encouraged her gently with a softly spoken, "What did he say?"

A warm blush crept across the weather-worker's cheeks. "He said that I shouldn't worry... that he wouldn't bite."

Charles blinked, but that was the only sign he gave of surprise. "I see."

"He told me that Logan needed medical attention… that his 'lord's' strength was not something to take lightly. He told me that Rahne needed help. And" She drew in a quick, surprised breath, her eyes widening with realization.

Xavier's brows drew together in a concerned frown. "Ororo?"

She forced herself to meet his eyes, forced herself to speak. "He… he called himself _Youko_."

: - : - : - : - : -

Somewhere far to the north of the Institute, a middle-aged man one Daniel Tabor by namewas driving down a road he had never seen before and wondering how the hell he had wound up in the middle of nowhere with no memory of his journey there.

: - : - : - : - : -

Hiei watched the van trundle off into the darkness with a satisfied smirk upon his face.

"You're certain the driver won't remember?" queried the imposing figure of Toushin Yuusuke.

"Certain," he replied. "He doesn't have a clue how he ended up out here, much less that he was used as a taxi-service for demons."

"Fine. Now where's this fabled 'hotspot' of yours?"

A low yip sounded off to one side, from within the foliage lining the side of the country road. Moonlight glinted fleetingly upon silver fur and golden eyes, and the two black-haired demons moved toward the sound… or rather, Yuusuke walked into the underbrush while Hiei flitted into the treetops, as was his wont.

As the ground fell away beneath him, his feet propelling him easily over the walkway of flimsy branches, Hiei let his youki levels rise slightly, preparing his body for what lay ahead. Below him, he could catch short glimpses of Kurama's fox form, darting in and out of the underbrush with the ease borne of millennia of practice. Yuusuke was somewhere further back but keeping up well despite the hampering nature of the forest.

The electric tingle of foreign youki danced across his senses as he ran forward, and Hiei increased his speed without conscious thought, eager to reach a place where the customs of Makai held sway… customs that he knew, customs that he understood, customs that afforded the strong the respect they so deserved.

: - : - : - : - : -

Yuusuke sneered as he caught sight of his destination through the thin screen of trees that still lay before him. An ancient warehouse, far past its prime, sat hunched dejectedly in the center of a clearing overgrown with weeds of every variety. He pushed his way out of the trees and ran a hand through his hair, dislodging the few stray leaves that had taken up residence there.

"_This_ is a demon gathering ground?" he asked archly. "I've seen classier junkyards."

"Use your senses, baka," came Hiei's growled reply from somewhere overhead. "The gathering ground is _inside_. There's a shield up to mask it, but you can still feel some youki, and you can smell the scent of Makai."

Yuusuke absently pondered that, while he couldn't remember the meaning of any Japanese terms at the moment, 'baka' hardly sounded complimentary. He was brought back to the present by the appearance of Youko Kurama at his right.

"After you," commented the fox-demon.

Yuusuke snorted, striding forward, making for the small, lopsided door in the warehouse's side he could just see highlighted by the moonlight. The waist-high weeds bent out of his way (Youko's doing, no doubt.), leaving a wide path he could traverse without difficulty.

They crossed the field in silence save for the near-imperceptible rustling of their footsteps, and even that was masked by the occasional breezes meandering through the clearing.

They were a mere ten feet from the doorway when a dark shape rose up before them as though from nowhere. A low, bass voice rumbled through the darkness.

"**_Where do you think you're going, low-class?_**"

: - : - : - : - : -

Someone was groaning.

Her entire body was throbbing, her skin tingling uncomfortably like an all-over 'pins-and-needles' episode. Her hands clenched of their own volition, closing around fistfuls of cloth.

Well, she was alive at least. Being dead wouldn't hurt this much.

She cracked her eyes open experimentally fighting against the headache throbbing through her skullbefore quickly slamming them closed against the fierce, fluorescent light that stabbed viciously at her eyes.

The groaning intensified, and she noticed in a distant, unconcerned waythat it was herself she was hearing.

Oh, lordy, what had she been drinking? She hadn't felt this bad since that time Kuwabara had come across a bottle of sake and challenged her to a drinking game . . .

Rogue's eyes snapped open, regardless of the pain that the bright lights of the infirmary caused her.

Who the HELL was 'Kuwabara' . . . ?

: - : - To Be Continued… - : - : -

A/N: After a very extended hiatus, I'm back, for whatever that's worth. Meh, go me.

For those who didn't read my bio announcement, I've been suffering from one of the most debilitating computer crashes I've ever faced, and believe me, there've been a few doozies. This crash, however, not only wiped out my stored Mission X files, it ANNIHILATED _THREE_ completed chapters. (I had been planning a Christmas present for ya'll.)

I was reasonably upset.

But now I'm back, and hopefully I won't be flamed as much as I fear I will. Flames HURT.

Gomen for the long wait, and wish me lots of luck on the next chappie, ne?


	25. Strange Encounters

Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything of Edgar Allen Poe's.

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**A/N: **Back in action, baby! Finals are nearly over and I feel freer than a bird! Wheee! I'm working on revising some earlier chapters, too, so Mission X should soon be supremely spiffy as far as formatting goes!

Also, **_PLEASE READ THE NOTICE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE_**.

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I've had to alter my markings for various languages due to some new quirks of ff . net.

Now it's "_Japanese_" and "**Makai dialect**."

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- : - : - **_Last Time on _Mission X** - : - : -

_They crossed the field in silence save for the near-imperceptible rustling of their footsteps, and even that was masked by the occasional breezes meandering through the clearing._

_They were a mere ten feet from the doorway when a dark shape rose up before them as though from nowhere. A low, bass voice rumbled through the darkness._

"**Where do you think you're going, _low-class_?**"

**- : - : - Chapter Twenty-Three: _Strange Encounters of Many Kinds_ - : - : -**

Hiei could not restrain a dark smirk. It was amazing, he thought, to see just how swiftly a grown demon wilted into a quivering, whimpering imp when an S-class Toushin had it pinned by means of one foot pressing suggestively against said demon's jugular.

The Toushin in question looked to be having entirely too much fun, ruby eyes glinting in the pale moonlight, dark hair swirling about his form like an all-encompassing cloak.

"Now," purred Yuusuke in a voice rich with ugly promises, "just _who_ were you calling _low-class_?"

The foot ground into the demon's scaly neck with just a hair more pressure, and a wretched growl that was more like a squeal wrenched itself from the creature's throat. "N-n-not you, m-my l-l-lord! A s-slip of the tongue, I _swear!_ I was m-merely g-g-guarding the d-door!"

Well, the demon –a bear demon, it appeared (and smelled)—was certainly large enough for 'guarding the door' to be a viable career option. Standing, the bear had towered head and shoulders over even Youko, easily the tallest of the Toushin's group. In a comparison of sheer muscle mass, the bear easily outweighed all three of the smaller demons… combined.

In terms of youki, though, the bear was a small ember encircled by three roaring infernos.

"M-m-my lord, p-please!"

… an ember that might shortly be snuffed out of existence, it seemed.

Yuusuke bent closer to the panting demon's face, seemingly unaffected by the stench of the bear's unwashed flesh. The moonlight could make no purchase upon the dark markings upon the Toushin's skin, creating inky-black slashes against Yuusuke's moon-paled skin, gleaming upon bared fangs. "You break much too quickly, _low-class_. Begging already? I'm disappointed."

Golden eyes clearly alight with amusement, Youko Kurama spoke up from his position at Hiei's elbow. "My Lord, we're wasting the night."

The Toushin rolled his eyes. "Always gotta' ruin my fun." He smirked down at the bear demon, whose eyes had grown noticeably larger as it seemed to take in the power levels of the crazed battle demon's two companions. Yuusuke snorted. "Fine then, fox-boy, you take care of the little weasel. I want him out of the way until we're far out of range of his stench."

A pale, clawed hand rose to run elegantly through the youko's silvery hair, pulling free several small seeds. The fox demon grinned as the bear tracked this movement with ill-concealed terror. "My pleasure."

- : - : - : - : - : -

"Here. Swallow these."

Rogue mumbled something that even she herself couldn't understand as she accepted the blessed gift of pain-relief pills from Doctor McCoy's furry palm and gulped them down. The infirmary lights had been set for half their usual brilliance as a small concession to the monstrous migraine that was currently stomping gleefully on her skull. She tried to ignore the way that her hand had trembled when she had accepted the pills, but her entire body was trembling, shivering, and not from any sort of chill.

… _Kurama… once Youko, now Shuichi… a thieving fox with mastery over plants… a monster in the body of a human boy…_

Hank bustled about in the dimly-lit room, bringing pillows to support her back so that she could sit up without much effort, fetching a second glass of water to wash down the pills, rummaging through cabinets of medical equipment, but Rogue had shut her eyes and made no effort to track his movements visually after her first efforts had culminated in a disturbing view of three Hank McCoy's offering her three separate cups of water and six more pills.

It wasn't that hard to keep tabs on him anyway, even without her eyes. She could hear his breath as he shuffled about, and she could smell the musky scent of his fur when he drew nearer, could feel his body heat.

… _Hiei… master of the Jagan eye, tamer of a demon dragon from the depths of hell… kidnapper, murderer…_

… but she could not stop shivering.

"Are you cold, Rogue?"

"… No."

It had to be in the middle of the night. The air had the unmistakable, still quality that only the early hours of the morning possessed, and she could hear no sounds beyond the movements of the doctor in the room with her.

"Would you like something to help you sleep?" Hank, bless him, was keeping his voice to a careful murmur to avoid worsening her headache, but Rogue found herself wanting…

… what?

"Ah'm not gonna' be able to sleep."

She wanted to run. She wanted to fight, to jump, to hit _something_, but mostly she just wanted to _move._

The scent of warm fur, and then the doctor's hand, covered with the cold rubber of a glove, was on her wrist, checking her pulse, and she could sense the touch of the latex-covered fingers before they ever brushed her skin. She could hear the dull rasp of air entering and exiting the doctor's lungs.

… _Yuusuke Urameshi… born by the mingled blood of human and monster… once human, now demon… a lord among demons… _

… _Toushin…_

"Your pulse rate is very high. You don't want a sedative at least?" He was clearly worried, but Rogue refused to open her eyes, wondering if she would see _eight _Hank McCoy's standing beside her bed instead of just three.

"It wouldn't help." She knew _that_ as surely as she knew that the dull pounding she heard was the beat of the doctor's heart. "Ah'm too antsy."

"It's nearly two in the morning. Are you sure?"

She resisted a chuckle, feeling strangely disconnected from herself, wondering if that was the pain pills at work. "Ah'm sure."

"The professor will want to speak to you as soon as possible. We're all worried about what happened at the mall. Kurt would only say that you touched Yuusuke and Hiei. Do you remember anything more than that?"

… _touching those that had been touched by death…_

It was harder to resist the grim laughter this time, but she managed somehow. "Ah remember," was all she replied.

- : - : - : - : - : -

A 'gentle' shove by the Toushin resulted in the battered door slamming open to reveal… a perfectly empty, abandoned warehouse.

Yuusuke sniffed the air, the scents of old wood and rusted metal and damp earth easily discernable, his senses reaching out to brush against the illusion-based barrier that stood not six inches from his face. He snorted. "Cute."

He flared his youki and stepped through, the slimy sensation of foreign youki sliding over his skin and wrenching a displeased growl from his throat. The image of the abandoned warehouse blurred and wrenched and shattered before his eyes, and he was standing at the edge of a huge room lit by small fires placed hither and yon, a room that was filled with more demons than he had seen since the last tournament. Ogres, kitsune, bat demons, cat demons, dragon demons, and demons that Yuusuke could not put a breed to. Behind him, a vague, watery barrier separated him from the outside world, turning any shapes beyond into shadowy blurs.

Cackles and growls and the dull roar of many separate conversations brushed his ears, thrumming in his skull, and he was surrounded by more youki signatures than he cared to count. A metal walkway ringed the entire room, running nearly ten feet above his head, and at the center of the room appeared to be a sizeable… pit.

"Kurama?" Ignoring the hostile, weighing gazes of a score of demons, Yuusuke nodded toward the large hole that lay about thirty feet in front of them.

The imposing figure of Youko Kurama stepped up to stand just behind the Toushin's shoulder. "I expect that's a fighting ring of some sort. We will not be able to leave without entering it at least once, I expect."

Hiei stood at Yuusuke's other shoulder, mirroring the kitsune's position. "You sound as though you aren't looking forward to it," commented the Jaganshi archly.

Kurama smirked. "I never said that."

Yuusuke pressed forward, wondering whether he would have to push to get through the tightly packed mass of demons before him, but a path cleared before him as though by magic, and he realized with a smug smirk that the demons were reading his power levels and pushing each other to get out of his way. He scanned the building swiftly and found no other S-class demons nearby, merely a low C-class.

_:Head for the pit:_ prompted Hiei's voice inside his mind. Yuusuke felt a small wash of confusion, and he _pushed_ that feeling toward the Jaganshi, prompting a further explanation. _:When a demon enters a gathering ground with a class equal to or greater than the highest classed demon present, those demons compete for dominancy.:_

Yuusuke felt a thrill of enthusiasm. A night out _and_ a brawl. Things were looking up.

The crowd realized what was about to happen, judging by the rising levels of both sound and youki as they grew more excited. More and more heads turned toward the pit, and the crowd pressed forward, vying for the best vantage points.

Upon reaching the edge of the pit and seeing the demon facing him on the other side, Yuusuke's feelings of elation swiftly waned. There stood the low C-class he had sensed earlier, a male demon of undetermined breeding that, while mostly human-looking, sported horns, pointed ears, scaly hands, and cloven hooves instead of feet.

"Aw, _man."_ Yuusuke sighed heavily, feeling vaguely cheated. "That's not fair. I could knockhim over if I _sneezed_ too hard."

Kurama chuckled, his gray ears twitching to track various sounds all around the room even as his eyes focused solely on the C-class on the other side of the roughly-carved pit. "Pity. Of course, since Hiei and I both acknowledge that you are superior, one of us could take the fight for you… if you wish."

Yuusuke frowned, wanting to battle but knowing that he could get a better, more dangerous challenge by sparring with either Hiei or Kurama at a later time. Where was the sport in pounding a low-level into the dirt? It would be like kicking a kitten.

… an _ugly_ kitten, that is.

The Toushin snorted in disgust. "Ch. Make it quick. And you owe me a match, the both of you."

There was a rush of wind, and Hiei disappeared from his side only to reappear on the rocky, uneven floor of the pit.

Kurama laughed. "I think Hiei's got some frustration to work out."

Demons were calling out all around, their voices blending in with the general mayhem, and Yuusuke realized after a moment's attention that the demons were taking bets on the fight… and the odds were extremely one-sided.

The battle was… boring. There was no doubt in Yuusuke's –or, indeed, in anyone's—mind that Hiei would win. High A-class versus low C-class left very little room for hope for a 'surprise' victory.

Yuusuke's impression of the battle later would be vague blurs of black and flashes of light upon a sword blade and calls from the audience and cries of pain from the unfortunate demon who was Hiei's opponent. The Jaganshi did not even bother using his flame powers, preferring, apparently, to beat the opposition into submission.

Yuusuke found himself agreeing with Kurama: Hiei definitely had some stress to work out.

It would be fun to spar with him later.

- : - : - : - : - : -

The infirmary door creaked as it was pressed stealthily open, but Rogue heard it as easily as if it had been the blaring of an alarm. Golden eyes glinted in the darkness as a dark figure eased into the shadowed room, and Rogue felt a small flicker of warmth as Kurt did his level best to enter without disturbing her 'sleep'.

"Relax, Blue. The Doc's gone to bed."

The blue mutant flinched and **_bamph_**ed in surprise, reappearing at the top of one of the room's walls, huddled in the corner, pressed against the ceiling. Golden eyes were wide as they sought out Rogue's supine form on one of the medical beds.

"_Rogue?_"

The young woman let herself chuckle softly. "Jumpy, ain't ya'? Git down here, y' little chicken."

_**Bamph!**_

Rogue winced at the noice but smiled when she was suddenly looking up into a pair of warm golden eyes set in a shadowy face. Her stomach twinged uncomfortably as she realized that her belly and neck felt entirely too vulnerable, and she took a moment to roll onto her side, laying her arm over her stomach. Kurt watched this with ill-concealed worry.

"Rogue? I did not know you vere avake! Doctor McCoy vould not tell us anyzing! Are you alright?"

… _ruby eyes and black markings and wild hair and fangs that glinted beneath the red light of an alien sky…_

She ducked her chin, feeling the tremors, now somewhat milder, still running up and down her limbs. "Ah'll be fine, Blue."

Kurt's heartbeat was different from the doc's. The younger mutant's heartbeat was lighter and swifter than Hank's plodding, steady pulse, but the tempo of Kurt's heart abruptly sped with nervousness, and Rogue could hear him fidgeting.

"Rogue… Yuusuke and Hiei and Shuichi… Zey are… Do you… did you know…" The blue-furred mutant swallowed heavily."Rogue, zey are not—"

"Not human." Kurt's pulse gave a sort of hop-skip, and Rogue raised her eyes to meet his golden gaze. "I know."

- : - : - : - : - : -

Kurama had informed Yuusuke quickly that the dominant demon at a gathering was allowed the highest seat available… in this case, an odd sort of stone chair that looked almost like a throne. It was set on the walkway that ringed the upper level of the warehouse, a good vantage point for everywhere save the area directly underneath his feet.

A scantily clad cat demoness came with a cup of unidentified liquid –Hiei informed Yuusuke mentally that it was probably some sort of Makai wine or ale, certainly extremely alchoholic—and set it at his elbow. Yuusuke was not allowed to drink from the cup until Kurama had smelled the contents for anything suspicious; the kitsune was taking his pretend role of 'bodyguard' very seriously.

Seated above the majority of the crowded hall, Yuusuke did his best to ignore the multitudes of eyes that still tracked his every movement. He felt as though he were a cat surrounded by countless wary mice. After ensuring that the drink was nothing harmful, Kurama had vanished into the crowd somewhere over to his left, and he tracked the fox's youki signature instinctively. Hiei, far more relaxed after his short, one-sided battle, had melted into the shadows behind Yuusuke's seat, and the Toushin suspected that the Jaganshi was watching the continuing fights below only to see if there was another opponent that he might challenge to a somewhat entertaining battle.

"My, but don't _you_ look bored."

Having not seen her approach, Yuusuke allowed himself the luxury of examining the strange demoness from head to toe and back again before he replied. Clad in a loose robe of dark silk with blonde hair pulled back in a simple braid, the demoness was nothing spectacular… unless one counted the fact that she was lacking in scales, horns, or extra appendages, a characteristic that made her stand out in this particular gathering. Her youki seemed fuzzy to his senses, as though she were shielding herself, but from what he could read, she was high C-class or low B-class. He wondered why she had not participated in the fight earlier.

Yuusuke raised one shoulder in an eloquent shrug. "Nothing entertaining about pounding weaklings into the dirt."

The woman chuckled, fangs prominent at the corners of her mouth. "There are those that would disagree."

She stepped forward and, without waiting for an invitation, seated herself on the arm of Yuusuke's seat, a slit down the side of her robe leaving a vast expanse of pale thigh bare for examination. She reached as though to pick up the glass of wine set on the chair's opposite arm, but Yuusuke placed his palm over it firmly, scowling up past the woman's bosom (far too close to his face for comfort) and into her violet eyes.

"Forward sort of lady, aren't you?"

She smiled, her hand still wrapped firmly around the base of the cup. "Drink service is lousy on the floor. I'm parched."

Yuusuke eyed her suspiciously for another long moment, then removed his hand. Her smile widened as she raised the cup to her lips and took a long sip. When she was finished, she returned the cup to its former position, but Yuusuke knew –even without Hiei's warning mental nudge—that taking a drink from the vessel now would be a decidedly stupid thing to do.

She was smiling again, her eyes seeming to take in every feature of Yuusuke's face. "I haven't seen you around before. I'd remember if an S-class had wandered into this dump before. I'm Indira."

Yuusuke restrained the urge to lean as far away from her as possible. "I'm… Jin."

'Yuusuke Urameshi' was far too noteworthy a name to let slip, especially in the midst of such a large horde of demons. Yuusuke pretended to not hear Hiei's soft snort.

"Jin." The demoness, Indira, seemed to taste the name. "Have you been in the area long?"

"Long enough."

She laughed, amused at his reticence. "Well, what in the three worlds brings you out here? I can see that you're no party-demon."

The Toushin eyed her appraisingly. They _had_ come here for information. Perhaps the woman could be a helpful source. He chose his words with care.

"I've been away for… a long while, and I've found that certain demons have… poached on my territory, interfering with the humans. I came to see if I could discover who."

The woman drew back abruptly. "Why would that upset you? Do you want to keep your feeding grounds to yourself?"

Yuusuke didn't reply.

Her eyes grew suddenly cold. "… or are you one of those _human lovers?"_

Yuusuke sneered. "I don't see how that's any of your concern. I do what I wish on my own lands."

"… You _are _protecting the humans." Indira answered his sneer by baring her own fangs. "You're a battle demon, I can see by your marks. You were _born_ to feast on the blood and pain of humans, and you wish to save them? They're animals, like cows or pigs. The only difference is that humans are dangerous."

Yuusuke found himself glaring. "I don't like your tone, low-level."

"Well, pardon me, _my lord!"_ The demoness stood in a swirl of dark silk and snarled, her hands arched to leave her claws at the ready, as though she wished nothing more than to scratch at his eyes. "You talk as though humans are innocent victims! Little sheep to be protected by a shepherd! They're just as much monsters as any demon imprisoned in Meikai! Demons like you _disgust_ me!"

Yuusuke allowed his youki to rise, an obvious warning to any nearby demon, and several of the bystanders who had been watching the argument avidly edged away, showing better survival instincts than the furious demoness. "I'd be a bit cautious, if I were you."

There was a low _shnikt_ sound somewhere behind him, the sound of a katana being loosened in its sheath, but Kurama melted out of the crowd over to Yuusuke's left and interrupted before the argument could escalate.

"I sense humans."

**- : - : - To Be Continued… - : - : -**

A/N: Here you go, everyone, a much awaited update! I hope it was as good as you were hoping?

Now I'm working on perfecting a balancing act between Mission X, Flawed, and What Must Be, so I'll try to update as least one of those stories a week, if not more. Wish me luck!

- : - : - : - : - : -

**_IMPORTANT:_ PLAGIARISM NOTICE:**

I would really like it if you would take a short moment to visit _www **dot** fanfiction **dot** net **backslash squiggle** starrynites_ and read the story "Mutant Threat" by starrynites. It's a Yuu Yuu Hakusho/Inuyasha/X-men Evolution crossover. You don't need to read all of it if you don't want, just the parts with Yuusuke and the Tantei, and tell me whether or not you think that's PLAGIARISM.

She's also on _mediaminer **dot** org_ as starrystarrynites.


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